item

[ahy-tuhm, ahy-tem]

noun

1. a separate article or particular.

   50 items on the list.

   Synonyms: entry, heading, thing

2. a separate piece of information or news, as a short piece in a newspaper or broadcast.

3. Slang.,  something suitable for a news paragraph or as a topic of gossip, especially something that is sensational or scandalous.

   The bandleader and the new female singer are an item.

4. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter I.

5. an admonition or warning.

6. Older Use.,  an intimation or hint.

adverb

1. also; likewise (used especially to introduce each article or statement in a list or series).

verb (used with object)

Archaic.

1. to set down or enter as an item, or by or in items.

2. to make a note of.

item

noun

1. a thing or unit, esp included in a list or collection

2. accounting an entry in an account

3. a piece of information, detail, or note

   a news item

4. informal,  two people having a romantic or sexual relationship

verb

1. (tr) an archaic word for itemize

adverb

1. likewise; also

Other Word Forms

• subitem noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of item¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “likewise” (adverb), “the same” (noun), from Latin: “likewise”

Word History and Origins

Origin of item¹

C14 (adv) from Latin: in like manner

Example Sentences

A foodbank is asking donors to consider trying a "reverse advent calendar" this year – giving 24 items to help provide Christmas hampers to families in need.

Read more on BBC

On Sept. 8, 1936, the Lubbock Morning Avalanche carried the following item:

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The items reportedly also include documents from the Teutonic Order -- a Catholic brotherhood of crusading knights active in the Middle Ages.

Read more on Barron's

Electronic transfers through bank apps - for which shop and stall owners charge minor fees - have become a popular workaround for Gazans making purchases, even of small items.

Read more on BBC

From January through August, the U.S. collected about $2.6 billion in tariffs on imports of the newly exempted items, according to a study of census data by the analytics firm Trade Partnership Worldwide.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• component 
• element 
• feature 
• information 
• piece 
• thing