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:
Divers’ primary tool was a vacuum-like system called a dredge, which sucked up sediment from inside the wreck and deposited it into baskets on the sea floor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The 38-year-old German was a centre-half, progressing through the Stuttgart youth system before playing senior football for Hoffenheim from 2007 to 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
She worries about losing access to her clients and other children, who will now be forced to face a complex immigration system alone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
MP: I built what I call a 10-3-1, which is, “What is your mission and your vision and your value system for yourself, and then what is your one-year, three-year, 10-year outlook of that vision?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
If JB wasn’t afraid, then maybe Jonah didn’t need quite so much adrenaline coursing through his system.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
“Scientists can trust it. Now it’s moving from people benchmarking the systems to using these for science to look at applications.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Sales of vehicle components, including high-end infotainment systems, also continued rising.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"The systems are designed to withstand technical failures. If a computer crashes or power fails, the timer pauses automatically and resumes on another machine."
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
AI agents -- systems that act autonomously to complete tasks rather than just responding to step-by-step prompts in a chatbot -- are hailed across the industry as the next chapter in AI.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
She’s always telling me to acknowledge my support systems; to reach out to them, and express gratitude to them.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
