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• norm
  norm

  noun

  a standard, model, or pattern.
• Norm.
  Norm.

  abbreviation

  Norman.
• Norm
  Norm

  noun

  a stereotype of the unathletic Australian male
• norm.
  norm.

  abbreviation

  normal

norm

¹ American  

[nawrm] / nɔrm /

noun

• norms
  plural

1. a standard, model, or pattern.

2. general level or average.

   Two cars per family is the norm in most suburban communities.

3. a behavior pattern or trait considered typical of a particular social group.

   The patients regained the norms of everyday life after their hospitalization.

4. Sociology. a pattern or standard of behavior expected of each member of a social group.

   In many countries, cultural norms result in women bearing primary responsibility for childcare.

5. Education.

   1. a designated standard of average performance of people of a given age, background, etc.

   2. a standard based on the past average performance of a given individual.

6. Mathematics.

   1. a real-valued, nonnegative function whose domain is a vector space, with properties such that the function of a vector is zero only when the vector is zero, the function of a scalar times a vector is equal to the absolute value of the scalar times the function of the vector, and the function of the sum of two vectors is less than or equal to the sum of the functional values of each vector. The norm of a real number is its absolute value.

   2. the greatest difference between two successive points of a given partition.

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Norm. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Norman.

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norm ¹ British  

/ nɔːm /

noun

1. an average level of achievement or performance, as of a group or person

2. a standard of achievement or behaviour that is required, desired, or designated as normal

3. sociol an established standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group to which each member is expected to conform

4. maths

   1. the length of a vector expressed as the square root of the sum of the square of its components

   2. another name for mode

5. geology the theoretical standard mineral composition of an igneous rock

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Norm. ² British  

abbreviation

1. Norman

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Norm ³ British  

/ nɔːm /

noun

1. a stereotype of the unathletic Australian male

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norm. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. normal

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• normless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• norms
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of norm

First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin norma “carpenter's square, rule, pattern”

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Explanation

A statistical average is called the norm. If you live in a town made up mostly of farmers but your trade is basket weaving, then you're outside the norm. The noun norm is from the Latin word norma, which was a carpenter's square or pattern used in construction to make regular corners. Now we use norm for anything that sets a standard. You can score within the norm on a standardized test, score above the norm on an IQ test, or fall below the norm in acceptable standards of dress if you wear a halter top and cut-off jeans to a formal ball.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

norm Norm. Norm norm. norms

There are very rare reports about people getting pregnant in their late 40s, but data shows that this is far from the norm.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

Many say finding one in the seat pocket has become the exception rather than the norm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Homeownership has long been the norm in Spain, where around three-quarters of households own their properties.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Comprehensives, run by local authorities, are the norm.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

First, it was evident that genetic variation was the norm, not the exception, in nature.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

“I grew up with Uncle Norm. He told people that he changed my diapers, and I said, Uncle Norm — I was 3 years old!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025

“Oh Norm. Please tell me this is not true.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 15, 2021

"Our thoughts are with all of Norm’s friends and family today and… Thank you so much for the laughs, Norm. We’ll never, ever forget them."

From Fox News ● Sep. 15, 2021

“Oh my God what is even happening. Good bye, Norm. You were never not 100% hilarious.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2021

Its church, ded. to St Bridget, preserves a Norm. door within the S. porch, and a Norm. font on the S. side of the building.

From Somerset by G. W. Wade

It’s just before the midweek lunch rush at Langer’s Deli and owner Norm Langer is behind the already-busy sandwich counter inspecting a stack of newly sliced rye bread.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

When the sitcom’s Norm Peterson—played by the late George Wendt—walked through the door, he was greeted by name, driving home the bar’s familylike embrace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Lawyers Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann and Steve Levin said in a statement Friday that the case "should never have been brought."

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

"If Mr Hearn can be charged with a felony for touching the Reflecting Pool, every American is at risk", said Norm Eisen, one of Hearn's attorneys, speaking outside the courthouse on Thursday.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

She always made sure I had my book and Norm the Bear, even though I didn’t need a teddy bear.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

“In the I.E., it’s really the norm. We’re singing in Spanish, we’re proud. But when we tour, we see it’s not like that everywhere,” Campos said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

“That’s not necessarily a bearish call, but just the norm. Since 1950, 10%+ corrections have occurred 0.8 times per year on average.”

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2025

"This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences," Walz said.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025

"In these early epochs, the amount of gas around galaxies is so large that continuous star formation is the norm. But in this galaxy this process is not happening."

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024

“The pandemic has changed that norm. And so we were trying to figure out what does that mean for us going forward?”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 3, 2023

Institutions must examine the cultures and power structures in which hazing flourishes, including secrecy, expectations of unquestioned loyalty, power imbalances and norms that discourage intervention and reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Despite all the public discourse around loneliness and the need to connect, the cold call violates some of the communication norms we’ve spent decades developing.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

Players normally need three qualifying norms and a rating of at least 2400 to become an international master.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The norms between your husband and his brother were cemented far before you entered his life.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

Sometimes relations with neighbouring bands were tight enough that together they constituted a single tribe, sharing a common language, common myths, and common norms and values.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

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Related Words

• benchmark
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