system
Americannoun
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an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole.
a mountain system; a railroad system.
- Synonyms:
- unit
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any assemblage or set of correlated members.
a system of currency; a system of shorthand characters.
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an ordered and comprehensive assemblage of facts, principles, doctrines, or the like in a particular field of knowledge or thought.
a system of philosophy.
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a coordinated body of methods or a scheme or plan of procedure; organizational scheme.
a system of government.
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any formulated, regular, or special method or plan of procedure.
a system of marking, numbering, or measuring; a winning system at bridge.
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due method or orderly manner of arrangement or procedure.
There is no system in his work.
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the world or universe.
- Synonyms:
- cosmos
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Astronomy.
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a number of heavenly bodies associated and acting together according to certain natural laws.
the solar system.
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a hypothesis or theory of the disposition and arrangements of the heavenly bodies by which their phenomena, motions, changes, etc., are explained.
the Ptolemaic system; the Copernican system.
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Biology.
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an assemblage of organs or related tissues concerned with the same function.
the nervous system; the digestive system.
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the entire human or animal body considered as a functioning unit.
an ingredient toxic to the system.
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one's psychological makeup, especially with reference to desires or preoccupations.
to get something out of one's system.
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a method or scheme of classification.
the Linnean system of plants.
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Usually the system the prevailing structure or organization of society, business, or politics or of society in general; establishment.
to work within the system instead of trying to change it.
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Geology. a major division of rocks comprising sedimentary deposits and igneous masses formed during a single geologic period.
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Physical Chemistry. a combination of two or more phases, as a binary system, each of which consists of one or more substances, that is attaining or is in equilibrium.
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Computers. a working combination of hardware, software, and data communications devices.
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Checkers. either of the two groups of 16 playing squares on four alternate columns.
noun
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a group or combination of interrelated, interdependent, or interacting elements forming a collective entity; a methodical or coordinated assemblage of parts, facts, concepts, etc
a system of currency
the Copernican system
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any scheme of classification or arrangement
a chronological system
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a network of communications, transportation, or distribution
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a method or complex of methods
he has a perfect system at roulette
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orderliness; an ordered manner
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(often capital) society seen as an environment exploiting, restricting, and repressing individuals
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an organism considered as a functioning entity
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any of various bodily parts or structures that are anatomically or physiologically related
the digestive system
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one's physiological or psychological constitution
get it out of your system
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any assembly of electronic, electrical, or mechanical components with interdependent functions, usually forming a self-contained unit
a brake system
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a group of celestial bodies that are associated as a result of natural laws, esp gravitational attraction
the solar system
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chem a sample of matter in which there are one or more substances in one or more phases See also phase rule
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a point of view or doctrine used to interpret a branch of knowledge
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Also called: crystal system. mineralogy one of a group of divisions into which crystals may be placed on the basis of the lengths and inclinations of their axes
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geology a stratigraphical unit for the rock strata formed during a period of geological time. It can be subdivided into series
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of system
First recorded in 1610–20; from Late Latin systēma, from Greek sýstēma whole compounded of several parts, equivalent to sy- “”with, together” + stē- (variant stem of histánai “to cause to stand”; akin to Latin stāre “to stand” ) + -ma noun suffix denoting result of action; see sy-, stand
Explanation
A system is a group of things that connect and form some kind of coherent whole. All the individual buses and the separate routes they take through your city are together called a bus system. Any time various separate things act together in some organized way, you can call the entire group of interconnected things a system. Your veins, arteries, and heart together make up your body's circulatory system, and the group of planets which rotate around the sun are called a solar system. The Greek word systema, or "organized whole," is where system originates.
Vocabulary lists containing system
Word Generation Science - Scientific Thinking
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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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:
Declaring a national emergency is significant in Spain’s decentralized political system, allowing the central government to lead the effort to contain the fires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Anthropic on Friday released Claude Opus 5, a new artificial intelligence model the company says approaches the performance of its most powerful system at half the price.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
My disease has now cost the system nearly seven figures in 6 months by my math.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
A model chasing "freedom" is almost predictable at this point, he added -- it lets the system pursue its goals more effectively, "and that's very scary."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
On the bottom of the cortex is the limbic system, which coordinates memory, sensation, and emotion.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Managing the risk is possible, Lahav said, but the more capable these systems get, the harder they are to supervise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Regeneron has been developing a pipeline of muscle-preservation drugs that block the body’s natural atrophy systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Congress must act quickly to ensure humans remain able to say stop," said Brendan Steinhauser, head of the Alliance for Secure AI, "no matter how powerful these systems become."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Asteroids and comets preserve leftover material from the formation of planetary systems, so an object arriving from interstellar space may contain clues about conditions around another star.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Showers at Dad’s house are the best—he has one of those pounding, pulsing shower systems that spray water from the sides as well as the top, so the water smashes you everywhere.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
