random

American  

[ran-duhm] / ˈræn dəm /

adjective

1. proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern.

   the random selection of numbers.

   Synonyms:

   fortuitous, chance, haphazard

2. Statistics. of or characterizing a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen.

3. Building Trades.

   1. (of building materials) lacking uniformity of dimensions.

      random shingles.

   2. (of ashlar) laid without continuous courses.

   3. constructed or applied without regularity.

      random bond.

4. Slang.

   1. unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.

      A couple of random guys showed up at the party.

   2. odd or unpredictable, often in an amusing way.

      my totally random life.

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noun

1. something that is random, or a random state or condition.

   different statistical methods used to estimate randoms.

2. Slang.

   1. a person or thing that is unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.

   2. a person or thing that is odd or unpredictable.

3. Chiefly British. bank.

adverb

1. Building Trades. without uniformity.

   random-sized slates.

idioms

1. at random, without definite aim, purpose, method, or adherence to a prior arrangement; in a haphazard way.

   Contestants were chosen at random from the studio audience.

random British  

/ ˈrændəm /

adjective

1. lacking any definite plan or prearranged order; haphazard

   a random selection

2. statistics

   1. having a value which cannot be determined but only described probabilistically

      a random variable

   2. chosen without regard to any characteristics of the individual members of the population so that each has an equal chance of being selected

      random sampling

3. informal (of a person) unknown

   some random guy waiting for a bus

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noun

1. in a purposeless fashion; not following any prearranged order

random Scientific  

/ răn′dəm /

1. Relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.

2. Relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.

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random More Idioms  

1. see at random.

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Other Word Forms

• nonrandom adjective
• nonrandomness noun
• randomly adverb
• randomness noun

Etymology

Origin of random

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English raundon, random, from Old French randon, derivative of randir “to gallop,” from Germanic

Example Sentences

On its own, random people saying outrageous things on the internet, and even making money from it, isn’t a major problem.

From The Wall Street Journal

Micron mostly makes working or volatile memory, called dynamic random access memory, or DRAM.

From Barron's

Ram - or random access memory - is used to store code while you use a device.

From BBC

But the lottery is even more random than that.

From BBC

Brick and stone floors with chips and random damage give the viewer the sense of being present in the courtyard of an ancient ancestral house.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accidental
• aimless
• arbitrary
• incidental
• indiscriminate
• irregular
• odd
• unplanned