mass
a body of coherent matter, usually of indefinite shape and often of considerable size: a mass of dough.
Medicine/Medical, Pathology. an abnormal lump in the body, often in the form of a cyst or tumor: The mass they removed was alarmingly large, but the great news is that it was benign.
a collection of incoherent particles, parts, or objects regarded as forming one body: a mass of sand.
aggregate; whole (usually preceded by in the): People, in the mass, mean well.
a considerable assemblage, number, or quantity: a mass of errors; a mass of troops.
bulk, size, expanse, or massiveness: towers of great mass and strength.
Fine Arts.
Painting. an expanse of color or tone that defines form or shape in general outline rather than in detail.
a shape or three-dimensional volume that has or gives the illusion of having weight, density, and bulk.
the main body, bulk, or greater part of anything: the great mass of American films.
Physics. the quantity of matter as determined from its weight or from Newton's second law of motion. Abbreviation: m: Compare weight (def. 2), relativistic mass, rest mass.
Pharmacology. a preparation of thick, pasty consistency, from which pills are made.
the masses, the ordinary or common people as a whole; the working classes or the lower social classes.
pertaining to, involving, or affecting a large number of people: mass unemployment; mass migrations.
affecting a number of people, but more than two and typically a large number: mass murder;a mass shooting.
participated in or performed by a large number of people, especially together in a group: mass demonstrations; mass suicide.
pertaining to, involving, or characteristic of the mass of the people: the mass mind; a movie designed to appeal to a mass audience.
reaching or designed to reach a large number of people: television, newspapers, and other means of mass communication.
done on a large scale or in large quantities: mass destruction.
to come together in or form a mass or masses: The clouds are massing in the west.
to gather into or dispose in a mass or masses; assemble: The houses are massed in blocks.
Origin of mass
1synonym study For mass
Other words for mass
Opposites for mass
Other words from mass
- mass·ed·ly [mas-id-lee, mast-lee], /ˈmæs ɪd li, ˈmæst li/, adverb
- un·massed, adjective
Words that may be confused with mass
- massed , mast
Other definitions for Mass (2 of 3)
Origin of Mass
2Other definitions for Mass. (3 of 3)
Massachusetts.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use mass in a sentence
Iran sees ISIS forces massing not far from its border in Iraq as a direct threat.
How Iran Could Become Our Shadow Enemy in the Syria ISIS War | Jacob Siegel | September 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTime to end your silence about the seizure of Crimea and the troops massing at the border with eastern Ukraine.
Time to Come Home, Edward Snowden, and Stop Hiding Behind a Corrupt Regime | Michael Daly | March 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIs Moscow massing troops on the border for leverage or for war?
Russia Swears No Invasion, Never Mind All the Tanks | Jacob Siegel | March 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe police station got a call: Brotherhood sympathizers were massing for an attack.
In Egypt’s Countryside, Vendettas Between Police and Islamists Simmer | Mike Giglio, Christopher Dickey | October 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Syrian military seems to be massing to move into the rebel-held city of Homs, writes James Harkin.
Having settled the massing of the description, the next matter for consideration is the arrangement.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterIn massing the parts of a sentence for the purpose of emphasizing some idea, a writer has not entire freedom.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterThere are strata, there are eddying air-currents which rend the curtain or shred the massing vapors.
Blow The Man Down | Holman DayThe conditions were far from promising, as a heavy massing of the clouds in the southwest indicated more snow.
The Hosts of the Air | Joseph A. AltshelerBut for short marches, over open ground, there was much to be gained by massing men more closely together.
Battles of English History | H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
British Dictionary definitions for mass (1 of 3)
/ (mæs) /
a large coherent body of matter without a definite shape
a collection of the component parts of something
a large amount or number, such as a great body of people
the main part or majority: the mass of the people voted against the government's policy
in the mass in the main; collectively
the size of a body; bulk
physics a physical quantity expressing the amount of matter in a body. It is a measure of a body's resistance to changes in velocity (inertial mass) and also of the force experienced in a gravitational field (gravitational mass): according to the theory of relativity, inertial and gravitational masses are equal: See also inertial mass, gravitational mass
(in painting, drawing, etc) an area of unified colour, shade, or intensity, usually denoting a solid form or plane
pharmacol a pastelike composition of drugs from which pills are made
mining an irregular deposit of ore not occurring in veins
done or occurring on a large scale: mass hysteria; mass radiography
consisting of a mass or large number, esp of people: a mass meeting
to form (people or things) or (of people or things) to join together into a mass: the crowd massed outside the embassy
Origin of mass
1Derived forms of mass
- massed, adjective
- massedly (ˈmæsɪdlɪ, ˈmæstlɪ), adverb
British Dictionary definitions for Mass (2 of 3)
/ (mæs, mɑːs) /
Origin of Mass
2British Dictionary definitions for Mass. (3 of 3)
Massachusetts
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
Scientific definitions for mass
[ măs ]
A measure of the amount of matter contained in or constituting a physical body. In classical mechanics, the mass of an object is related to the force required to accelerate it and hence is related to its inertia, and is essential to Newton's laws of motion. Objects that have mass interact with each other through the force of gravity. In Special Relativity, the observed mass of an object is dependent on its velocity with respect to the observer, with higher velocity entailing higher observed mass. Mass is measured in many different units; in most scientific applications, the SI unit of kilogram is used. See Note at weight. See also rest energy General Relativity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for mass (1 of 3)
In physics, the property of matter that measures its resistance to acceleration. Roughly, the mass of an object is a measure of the number of atoms in it. The basic unit of measurement for mass is the kilogram. (See Newton's laws of motion; compare weight.)
In music, a musical setting for the texts used in the Christian Church at the celebration of the Mass, or sacrament of Communion. Most Masses have been written for use in the Roman Catholic Church.
Notes for Mass
The common name in the Roman Catholic Church, and among some members of the Anglican Communion, for the sacrament of Communion.
Notes for Mass
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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