installation
Americannoun
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installations
plural
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something installed, as machinery or apparatus placed in position or connected for use.
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the act of installing.
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the fact of being installed.
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Military. any more or less permanent post, camp, station, base, or the like, for the support or carrying on of military activities.
noun
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the act of installing or the state of being installed
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a large device, system, or piece of equipment that has been installed
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a military establishment usually serving in a support role
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an art exhibit often involving video or moving parts where the relation of the parts to the whole is important to the interpretation of the piece
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of installation
First recorded in 1600–10, installation is from the Medieval Latin word installātiōn- (stem of installātiō ). See install, -ation
Explanation
Installation is the process of putting something in a position so it can work properly. If the installation of the new dishwasher goes badly, you'll end up with water all over the kitchen floor. Installation is frequently used for appliances and machinery, like the installation of a fountain in your yard or the installation of a fan in your attic to help the house stay cool. You can also use it for people being set up in new positions or jobs: "The installation of a new president has been positive for the university." When artists talk about installations, they mean semi-permanent art exhibits: "The video installation in the museum's elevator is very innovative."
Vocabulary lists containing installation
On a Pedestal: Marble-ous Words for Sculpture
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Shipwrecked!
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Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The European Parliament has a not particularly diplomatic art installation.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Alexander Vladimirovich Skvortsov, a Russian installation technician, said he had a choice between working in Turkey or Bangladesh.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The next edition of Hauser & Wirth Publishers’ ongoing book series will focus on large-scale sculptor, installation artist, painter, print-maker and French icon Louise Bourgeois.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Conceived and organized by Katherine Jentleson at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art and first shown there, the survey appears now at the Whitney, where curator Barbara Haskell’s installation is on view through Jan. 10, 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Since its installation two years before, however, the parking meter had rarely collected dimes.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
B: San Diego has one of the nation’s largest military installations, with thousands of personnel currently deployed to the Middle East because of the war in Iran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Since then, they have regularly targeted oil and military installations in Saudi Arabia and have declared a maritime blockade on its ships.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
The DOE cited California’s military installations, declining oil production, and dependence on imported crude.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
Spectroscope provided an outlet for these installations and connected her with other disabled artists in the south west.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
The delayed installations meant that temporary tracks and roads had to remain in place.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
