Arithmetic, Statistics. the middle number in a given sequence of numbers, taken as the average of the two middle numbers when the sequence has an even number of numbers.
4 is the median of 1, 3, 4, 8, 9.
Geometry. a straight line from a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
Also called midpoint. a vertical line that divides a histogram into two equal parts.
Statistics. relating to the value in the center of the distribution for an array of data.
the median income of American households.
noting or relating to a plane dividing something into two equal parts, especially one dividing an animal into right and left halves.
situated in or relating to the middle; medial.
a Mede.
the Iranian language of ancient Media, contemporaneous with Old Persian.
of, relating to, situated in, or directed towards the middle
biology of or relating to the plane that divides an organism or organ into symmetrical parts
statistics of or relating to the median
a middle point, plane, or part
geometry
a straight line joining one vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side See also centroid
a straight line joining the midpoints of the nonparallel sides of a trapezium
statistics the middle value in a frequency distribution, below and above which lie values with equal total frequencies
statistics the middle number or average of the two middle numbers in an ordered sequence of numbers
7 is the median of both 1, 7, 31 and 2, 5, 9, l6
Also called: central reservation. the strip, often covered with grass, that separates the two sides of a highway
In a sequence of numbers arranged from smallest to largest:
The middle number, when such a sequence has an odd number of values. For example, in the sequence 3, 4, 14, 35, 280, the median is 14.
The average of the two middle numbers, when such a sequence has an even number of values. For example, in the sequence 4, 8, 10, 56, the median is 9 (the average of 8 and 10).
A line joining a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
What’s the difference between median, mean, mode, and average? In the context of mathematics and statistics, the median is the middle number in a set of values when those values are arranged from smallest to largest. In contrast, the word mean refers to what’s informally called the average—the sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. The mode of a set of values is the most frequently repeated value in the set. The word average is of course also very commonly used in more general ways. In math, though, it’s helpful to use more specific terms when determining the most representative or common value in a set of numbers. To illustrate the difference, let’s look at an example set of seven values: 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9. To get the mean of this set, you’d add up all the values (2+3+3+4+6+8+9=35) and then divide that total by the number of values (7), resulting in a mean of 5. This is what most people are referring to when they refer to the average of some set of numbers. To find the median, you have to find the one that’s sequentially in the middle. In a set of seven numbers arranged in increasing value, the median is the fourth number (since there are three before and three after). In this set (2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9), the median is 4. When a set has an even number of values, the median is the mean of the two middle values. The mode is simply the value that shows up the most. In the example set, the mode is 3, since it occurs twice and all the other values occur only once. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between median, mean, mode, and average.
First recorded in 1535–45, median is from the Latin word mediānus in the middle. See medium, -an
Median means middle. When a strip of grass divides one direction of a highway from another, it's called a median because it runs through the middle. Median comes from the Latin word medius, which also means middle. In math, the median is a number in the middle of a list. In the set 2, 3, 5, 10, 25, the median is 5. The statistical median is often linked to the idea of an average. A town's average income might seem high if there are two extremely rich people who live there. The median will tell you the income of the person halfway through the list.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It couldn’t explain whether it wanted to count the mean or the median or the margin or error or something else.
From Slate • May 23, 2026
In the past year, the median user of Claude Code went from using it 20 minutes a day to 20 hours a week.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Households making less than half the country’s median income would have to pay nearly two-thirds of their income to afford a new home in the first quarter, the index showed.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
“You can’t ignore India’s demographic picture,” says Chris Gannatti, WisdomTree’s global head of research, referring to the country’s increasingly educated population and its median age of 28 External link.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
He’s standing on the median that’s perpendicular to ours, and he’s holding a plastic shopping bag from Walgreens with what looks like bags of Halloween candy inside.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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.
