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• graph
  graph

  noun

  a diagram representing a system of connections or interrelations among two or more things by a number of distinctive dots, lines, bars, etc.
• graph-
  graph-

  variant of grapho- before a vowel.
• -graph
  -graph

  a combining form meaning “drawn,” “written” (lithograph; monograph ); specialized in meaning to indicate the instrument rather than the written product of the instrument (telegraph; phonograph ).

graph

¹ American  

[graf] / græf /

noun

• graphs
  plural

1. a diagram representing a system of connections or interrelations among two or more things by a number of distinctive dots, lines, bars, etc.

2. Mathematics.

   1. a series of points, discrete or continuous, forming a curve or surface, each of which represents a value of a given function.

   2. Also called linear graph. a network of lines connecting points.

3. a written symbol for an idea, a sound, or a linguistic expression.

4. Computers. a non-hierarchical data structure whose nodes store data elements and whose branches represent connections to other nodes in the structure.

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verb (used with object)

• graphs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• graphed,
  past participle,  past
• graphing
  present participle

1. Mathematics. to draw (a curve) as representing a given function.

2. to represent by means of a graph.

graph- ² American  

1. variant of grapho- before a vowel.

   grapheme.

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-graph ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “drawn,” “written” (lithograph; monograph ); specialized in meaning to indicate the instrument rather than the written product of the instrument (telegraph; phonograph ).

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graph ¹ British  

/ ɡrɑːf, ɡræf /

noun

1. Also called: chart. a drawing depicting the relation between certain sets of numbers or quantities by means of a series of dots, lines, etc, plotted with reference to a set of axes See also bar graph

2. maths a drawing depicting a functional relation between two or three variables by means of a curve or surface containing only those points whose coordinates satisfy the relation

3. maths a structure represented by a diagram consisting of points (vertices) joined by lines (edges)

4. linguistics a symbol in a writing system not further subdivisible into other such symbols

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verb

1. (tr) to draw or represent in a graph

-graph ² British  

combining form

1. an instrument that writes or records

   telegraph

2. a writing, record, or drawing

   autograph

   lithograph

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graph Scientific  

/ grăf /

1. A diagram showing the relationship of quantities, especially such a diagram in which lines, bars, or proportional areas represent how one quantity depends on or changes with another.

2. A curve or line showing a mathematical function or equation, typically drawn in a Cartesian coordinate system. The graph of the function y = x ² is a parabola.

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Usage

What does -graph mean? The combining form -graph is used like a suffix meaning “drawn” or "written," often to denote a recording of something. It is also used in a technical sense to mean an instrument that produces a written product. It is often used in scientific and technical terms. The form -graph comes from Greek -graphos, meaning “drawn or written, one who draws or writes.”What are variants of -graph?While -graph doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -graphy, as in telegraphy, and -graphic, as in pictographic. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -graphy and -graphic.

Synonym Usage

See map.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• regraph
  verb (used with object)
• -graphic
  combining form
• -graphically
  combining form

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• graphs
  plural

Participles

• graphing
  present
• graphed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• graph
  simple
• graphs
  simple
• have graphed
  perfect
• has graphed
  perfect
• am graphing
  progressive
• are graphing
  progressive
• is graphing
  progressive
• have been graphing
  perfect progressive
• has been graphing
  perfect progressive

Past

• graphed
  simple
• had graphed
  perfect
• was graphing
  progressive
• were graphing
  progressive
• had been graphing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will graph
  simple
• will have graphed
  perfect
• will be graphing
  progressive
• will have been graphing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of graph¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for graphic formula; see graphic

Origin of -graph³

< Greek -graphos (something) drawn or written, one who draws or writes. See grapho-

Explanation

A graph is a visual plotting of the relationship between two or more quantities, like a math map. To graph is to create such a chart. The noun graph came into use in the 1800s, when people got tired of saying graphic formula and decided to chop it down. A hundred years later, the verb form of graph was first recorded. Diagram and linear representation are two synonyms for the word. The dancer Martha Graham said, “Every dance is a kind of fever chart, a graph of the heart.” Here, she uses graph to say that dance is a visual representation of what’s in the heart.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

graph graph- graphs graphed graphing

Astronomers study changes in an object's brightness using a graph called a light curve.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

Long before Urschel became an assistant professor at MIT studying matrices, spectral graph theory and other subjects that sound like gibberish to just about everybody, he was an overachieving kid attending Penn State.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The decision was announced along with a graph showing the vast majority of Fed policymakers saw at least one more was likely necessary before the end of the year.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

At expiration, the profits shown in the graph above will materialize.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

Dawson and his colleague Stefania Mambelli prepared a graph that showed roughly how much of the carbon in the various McDonald’s menu items came from corn.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

The 17-page, graph- and chart-heavy report found no contributing factors led to the breakdowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2019

The words 'phonograph,' 'graphophone' and 'gramophone' literally mean 'sound-writing,' for the Greek form graph-, the Latin form scrib-, and the Saxon form write, equally parts of our language, denote exactly the same meaning.

From Copyright: Its History and Its Law by Richard Rogers Bowker

Year: 2023 Compiled by: Donny Bridges and Kate Doyle Of note: Lotta cool graphs in this one!

From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026

By coding interactions between couples and translating those exchanges into graphs, his work demonstrated that mathematical models could help predict relationship outcomes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

As an example, look at Oracle’s two-year stock chart below, and the two graphs.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

For now though, whatever growth graphs the organisers offer, the most impressive numbers belong to the Red Roses.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

I've got graphs and tables and news from outer space, and the thing is updated every fifteen minutes—like the reports about traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

The UW center analyzed how such rumors spread, sometimes through graphed timelines showing inflection points among tweets as heavy-hitting influencers weighed in.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 10, 2023

Results are stored and graphed over time, allowing a patient and physician to review how coordination may change.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2023

Geologic time periods are graphed, with beginning and ending dates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2023

There have been no clear trends in global hurricanes since 1980, according to data collected and graphed by research meteorologist Ryan Maue.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 2, 2022

He gave me the exact hour and made the thundering noise of the tumbling Jeep he graphed with his arcing hand.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

In 2022, TI reported that it had sold more than 90 million graphing calculators since 1990.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

SAT and AP tests now offer free digital graphing options for students, but it’s harder than it seems for school districts to look beyond Texas Instruments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

I gripped my TI-84 graphing calculator in outrage.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

There is her familiar handwriting, right in the archives, meticulously – almost obsessively – charting and graphing and tracking every variable that might show a pattern that could explain why these babies were going blind.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 12, 2023

The cicadas have started their trilling, and the bats swoop down and up as if graphing the bristling excitement.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• chart