defining
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Something defining is essential to what something is. A defining moment in your life helps makes you what you are. In the dictionary, definitions tell you what words mean, and the similar word defining has to do with what things are too. The defining characteristic of a chair is that you sit on it. The defining feature of food is you can eat it. People have defining features too: if you went to a summer camp and had an amazing time, it could be a defining time in your life. Defining things helps shape and mold us.
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.
“With global investors rethinking their capital allocation strategies, this is a defining moment for Hong Kong’s markets,” said Bonnie Y Chan, chief executive of HKEX.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“That was sort of a defining battle between North and South, but nobody won it. It was just that the lines had been drawn, and those lines still stand today.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
A BBC programme to mark the 30th anniversary, presented by DJ Target, will take viewers through some of the most defining moments, performances, and cultural milestones from the Mobo stage since it was first founded.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Prospective Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday marveled at the scale of Democrats' "incredible victory" in US congressional elections, singling out the high cost of living as the defining issue of the midterms.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Since limits are logically airtight, by defining a derivative in terms of limits, it becomes airtight as well—and puts calculus on a solid foundation.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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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.
