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:
These additional solar panels are scheduled for installation later this fall and will help provide electricity for the orbiting laboratory.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
But, in the past, installation could be costly and complicated—involving cutting a hole in an exterior wall, as well as ductwork if the heat pump was designed to heat an entire home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
The European Parliament has a not particularly diplomatic art installation.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Corallie Hunt, coastal habitats adviser for NatureScot, said the installation of the first saltmarsh flux tower in Scotland marked an "important milestone".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Sir,” Lundahl said, “we’ve never seen this kind of installation before.”
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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
Nearby, at Swoon Art House on the north Broadway corridor of the art district, founder Rebecca DiDomenico stages multimedia installations inside a striking circular building with rammed-earth walls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The DOE cited California’s military installations, declining oil production, and dependence on imported crude.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
Islamabad denied the charge, saying it "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Debussy, along with twenty-eight million other visitors, spent an engrossing time wandering around the exotic installations from distant continents.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
