size
1 Americannoun
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the spatial dimensions, proportions, magnitude, or bulk of anything.
the size of a farm; the size of the fish you caught.
-
considerable or great magnitude.
to seek size rather than quality.
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one of a series of graduated measures for articles of manufacture or trade.
children's sizes of shoes.
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a fortune of great size.
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actual condition, circumstance, or state of affairs.
That's about the size of it.
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a number of population or contents.
What size is Springfield, Illinois? The size of that last shipment was only a dozen.
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Obsolete. a fixed standard of quality or quantity, as for food or drink.
verb (used with object)
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to separate or sort according to size.
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to make of a certain size.
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Metallurgy. to press (a sintered compact) to close tolerances.
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Obsolete. to regulate or control according to a fixed standard.
verb phrase
idioms
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of a size, of the same or similar size.
The two poodles are of a size.
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try on for size,
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to put on briefly in order to test the fit of, as a garment or shoes.
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to consider, evaluate, do, or use before taking further action.
We'll try the plan on for size to see whether it's practical.
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noun
verb (used with object)
noun
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the dimensions, proportions, amount, or extent of something
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large or great dimensions, etc
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one of a series of graduated measurements, as of clothing
she takes size 4 shoes
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informal state of affairs as summarized
he's bankrupt, that's the size of it
verb
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to sort according to size
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(tr) to make or cut to a particular size or sizes
noun
verb
Usage
The use of -size and -sized after large or small is redundant, except when describing something which is made in specific sizes: a large (not large-size ) organization. Similarly, in size is redundant in the expressions large in size and small in size
Synonym Usage
Size, volume, mass, bulk are terms referring to the extent or dimensions of that which has magnitude and occupies space. Size is the general word: of great size; small in size. Volume often applies to something that has no fixed shape: Smoke has volume. Mass, also, does not suggest shape, but suggests a quantity of matter in a solid body: a mass of concrete. Bulk suggests weight, and often a recognizable, though perhaps unwieldy, shape: the huge bulk of an elephant.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of size1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun sise, syse, originally, “control, regulation, limit,” from Old French sise, shortening and alteration of assise assize
Origin of size2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English noun sise, syse; perhaps special use of size 1
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:
“A sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement,” the company said in a filing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The snails, which measure no bigger than a third of an inch or 8mm in size, are important as they eat vegetation and enrich the soil.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Mazariegos has in recent months appeared at City Hall to advocate for charter reform, including increasing police accountability, expanding the size of the City Council and advocating for noncitizen voting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Further research also is needed on a bigger sample size to see how the study correlates to a broad population.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Other than his initial ice-axe-and-soup-ladle science, Don Swanson’s job was geodetic monitoring, which meant very accurately measuring and analyzing the size and shape of the earth.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power described it as a “pinhole sized leak.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
That growth has propelled sales of compact trucks since 2021, from 1% to 6.7% last year of all pickups, according to Edmunds, which includes the Maverick and Hyundai’s similarly sized Santa Cruz in the category.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
A similarly sized 27-point improvement was seen for women’s employment for those who were previously not employed.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
But only 77% of children leave primary school being able to swim 25m - a standard sized swimming pool length.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The counterman emerged from the kitchen at the rear and sized them up expertly.
From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit
Tadeh Ghazalian, owner of Dialog, was still sizing up the damage to his restaurant the other day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Online shopping, says Charlotte, “is something I avoid, especially as I get older — I just don’t have the patience to decode the sizing differences of four different brands selling basically the same shirt.”
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Watching the dot-com crash, then 2008, then the pandemic drops, changed how I think about position sizing and cutting losses.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
The guidance for window sizing is a recommendation rather than a rule, which means builders in most of the U.K. don’t actually need to adhere to it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
They crouched in place, sizing each other up before carefully placing their toads on the rubber rainbow track but not letting go just yet.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
