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:
Chinese tech giants seeking to take advantage of the interest in OpenClaw have been offering simplified installation and affordable coding plans to help users host its agents on cloud servers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
“This installation, gifted by East Lothian Council and re-envisaged by the people of North Berwick, explores several themes surrounding local democracy and public resistance,” a laminated note said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
"The damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism," she wrote in a 20-page court filing announcing her department's decision.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The department’s own records described repeated installation failures and extensive peeling of the pool liner weeks before the alleged vandalism was ever said to have occurred.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
“What we need is the schematics map for the installation of these things. Then we’d know exactly where to look.”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
He professed a fondness for Tupac Shakur and electronic dance music, discussed UFO sightings around U.S. military installations and admitted his ideal fall Saturday involves spending hours watching college football.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
So far, the only work has been to clean up equipment, but there’s still construction that needs to be done to finish the project, including parks, landscaping and art installations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Banksy, who emerged from Bristol's graffiti scene in the 1990s and became one of the world's most famous street artists, is known for murals and installations that often appear overnight and attract large crowds.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The report estimated that rooftop installations had nearly doubled in the archipelago nation of 116 million since early 2025.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Side-scan sonar has been widely used to detect obstructions on the ocean floor that might be hazardous to shipping or to seabed installations by the gas and oil industries.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
