Showing results for "defining"

• present participle of define.

defining

American  

[dih-fahy-ning] / dɪˈfaɪ nɪŋ /

adjective

1. decisive; critically important.

   Taking a course in architecture was a defining turn in her life.

---

Other Word Forms

• nondefining
  adjective
• self-defining
  adjective

Explanation

Something defining is essential to what something is. A defining moment in your life helps makes you what you are. In the dictionary, definitions tell you what words mean, and the similar word defining has to do with what things are too. The defining characteristic of a chair is that you sit on it. The defining feature of food is you can eat it. People have defining features too: if you went to a summer camp and had an amazing time, it could be a defining time in your life. Defining things helps shape and mold us.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defining

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 222,000 copies in its first week, and produced three of the band’s defining songs: “Aerials,” “Toxicity,” and “Chop Suey!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

“The energy order has re-established itself. It’s not like sustainability is gone, but it’s not at the top, and it’s not the overall defining strategy around the world.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Do you sit down at a terminal and feel a rush of energy? Do you enjoy playing with and defining AI systems?"

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

With both Manchester City and rivals Manchester United having huge international draw, football is one of the city's defining assets, said Subrahmaniam Krishnan-Harihara, head of research at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

This wasn’t just about record-buying preferences, either: being a composer in the twentieth century meant making career- defining choices that simply were not relevant to earlier generations.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall