array

[ uh-rey ]

/ əˈreɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR array ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to place in proper or desired order; marshal: Napoleon arrayed his troops for battle.

to clothe with garments, especially of an ornamental kind; dress up; deck out: She arrayed herself in furs and diamonds.

noun

order or arrangement, as of troops drawn up for battle.

military force, especially a body of troops.

a large and impressive grouping or organization of things: He couldn't dismiss the array of facts.

regular order or arrangement; series: an array of figures.

a large group, number, or quantity of people or things: an impressive array of scholars; an imposing array of books.

attire; dress: in fine array.

an arrangement of interrelated objects or items of equipment for accomplishing a particular task: thousands of solar cells in one vast array.

Mathematics, Statistics.

an arrangement of a series of terms according to value, as from largest to smallest.
an arrangement of a series of terms in some geometric pattern, as in a matrix.

Computers. a block of related data elements, each of which is usually identified by one or more subscripts.

Radio. antenna array.

Nearby words

Origin of array

1250–1300; Middle English arrayen < Anglo-French arayer, Old French are(y)er < Germanic; compare Old English ārǣdan to prepare, equivalent to ā- a-³ + ræde ready

SYNONYMS FOR array

1. arrange, range, order, dispose. 2. apparel, dress, attire; ornament, adorn, decorate. 3. disposition. 5. show, exhibit, exhibition. 8. raiment.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR array ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsar·ray·er, nounun·ar·rayed, adjectivewell-ar·rayed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for array

Today, the Republicans can call upon an array of minority senators, governors, and congressmen.
The Republican Rainbow Coalition Is Real|Tim Mak|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still more keys engage an array of other sounds, from snare drums and cymbals to awooga horns and sirens.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bar had brought together an array of people united by a desire to settle into a home away from home with a drink in hand.
The Classic Hotel Bar Checks Back In|Kayleigh Kulp|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sure, there is an array of “self-help” guides available in the world.
A New Breakup Therapist: Your Phone|Erin Cunningham|July 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And whether their preferred candidate wins or loses, they have a right to demand from their representative an array of services.
Black Voters’ New Path to Power|Roland S. Martin|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Such an array of paddles prophesies of a mercurial temperament and an energetic character.
Chambers' Edinburgh Journal|Various
Here are an array of interruptions, but why not give them another name—that of opportunities?
The Life Radiant|Lilian Whiting
He led Saxton in a descent upon an array of long tables at which men were harpooning sandwiches and dipping salad.
The Main Chance|Meredith Nicholson
All along the side of the road extended an array of huge new pipes, some three feet in diameter, awaiting their turn underground.
The Adventures of a Three-Guinea Watch|Talbot Baines Reed
Before it was an array of seats, lacking backs, instead of which the audience used their own backbones.
The Story of Chautauqua|Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

British Dictionary definitions for array

array

/ (əˈreɪ) /

noun

an impressive display or collection

an orderly or regular arrangement, esp of troops in battle order

poetic rich clothing; apparel

maths a sequence of numbers or symbols in a specified order

maths a set of numbers or symbols arranged in rows and columns, as in a determinant or matrix

electronics an arrangement of aerials spaced to give desired directional characteristics, used esp in radar

law a panel of jurors

the arming of military forces

computing a regular data structure in which individual elements may be located by reference to one or more integer index variables, the number of such indices being the number of dimensions in the array

verb (tr)

to dress in rich attire; adorn

to arrange in order (esp troops for battle); marshal

law to draw up (a panel of jurors)

Derived Formsarrayal, noun

Word Origin for array

C13: from Old French aroi arrangement, from arayer to arrange, of Germanic origin; compare Old English arǣdan to make ready

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for array

array

early 14c., from stem of Old French areer "to put in order," from Vulgar Latin *ar-redare (source of Italian arredare), from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + Frankish *ræd- "ready" or some cognate Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *raidjan "to place in order" (cf. Gothic garadis, Old English geræde "ready;" see ready (adj.)). Related: Arrayed; arraying.