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Synonyms

define

American

[dih-fahyn] / dɪˈfaɪn /

verb (used with object)

to state or set forth the meaning of (a word, phrase, etc.).

They disagreed on how to define “liberal.”
to explain or identify the nature or essential qualities of; describe.

to define judicial functions.
to fix or lay down clearly and definitely; specify distinctly.

to define one's responsibilities.

Synonyms:

enumerate, detail, describe, name, state
to determine or fix the boundaries or extent of.

to define property with stakes.
to make clear the outline or form of.

The roof was boldly defined against the sky.

verb (used without object)

to set forth the meaning of a word, phrase, etc.; construct a definition.

define British

/ dɪˈfaɪn /

verb

to state precisely the meaning of (words, terms, etc)
to describe the nature, properties, or essential qualities of
to determine the boundary or extent of
(often passive) to delineate the form or outline of

the shape of the tree was clearly defined by the light behind it
to fix with precision; specify

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

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Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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Etymology

Origin of define

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English def(f)inen, from Anglo-French, Old French definer “to put an end to,” from Latin dēfīnīre ”to limit, define,“ equivalent to dē- “from, away from, out of” + fīnīre “to end”; see origin at de-, finish

Explanation

If you can't define a word, turn to the dictionary. That's always the best way to learn the definition. Likewise, anything you can describe completely is something you can define. The early French and Latin roots of the verb mean something closer to "to limit" or "to create a boundary," but this is really what we do when we define something: we limit its meaning to something specific. So when you're thinking about the word define, remember that you're looking to create a boundary of meaning around it, whether you're specifying the meaning of a word or a larger concept. To define a word such as astronomy is to define both the word and the realm of science that it's concerned with.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing define

The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1

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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 1

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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:

define defines defined defining

The Wall Street Journal’s Heather Somerville reports that a chronic shortage of explosives threatens the Pentagon’s agenda to replenish weapons stockpiles and arm troops with the unmanned systems that have come to define conflicts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

“The companies that will define the digital age are the ones investing ahead of the curve and delivering for customers, and that is what we are doing,” Executive Chairman Dave Cote said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

“It is about protecting Nevada’s passion for soccer and making sure this moment does not define his journey.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Mayo Clinic researcher Darren Baker, Ph.D., served as senior author of the paper "Senotypes define the diverse landscape of senescent cells," which examines the varied characteristics of these aging cell populations.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

Tyler paid a price for that letter, though the price is hard to define.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

In 1800, John Adams handed power to his bitter rival Thomas Jefferson, establishing the peaceful transfer between parties that defines our republic.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

The department defines an incident as “any documented case where a shark approached and touched a person in the water, or touched a person’s surfboard, kayak, paddleboard, etc.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

They also allege dumping, which trade law defines as selling a product abroad for less than at home or below production costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

In its Claude Constitution, which defines Anthropic’s intentions for Claude’s behavior, Anthropic wrote that Claude’s moral status is “deeply uncertain,” and that it might have “representations of an emotional state, which could shape its behavior.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026

That, and so many other smaller incidents in my life, made me realize that language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

At the Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro on Monday, the sea level hit 8.02 feet above the baseline, which is defined as the average daily lowest-water level observed between 1983 and 2001.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

That mission is defined as: "The responsible development and maintenance of advanced AI for the long-term benefit of humanity."

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

In my experience, most people in their 40s have never sat down and figured this out, which means they’re saving toward a target they’ve never defined.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Instead, much of the book is taken up with an old-fashioned and highly questionable history of science in which people are defined by the periods they lived in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

We defined the issues in terms of developing legal doctrine and establishing legal precedent; our clients became important, but secondary, players in a formal arena that required lawyers to translate lay claims into technical speech.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

However Berlant firmly believed that L.A. still retains its defining creative spirit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Building on their earlier work, they used a self-similar form of Einstein's equations to represent the standard cosmological model as a rest point, a mathematical state in which the system's defining variables remain unchanged.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

His early life's defining tragedy came when his elder brother Yonatan was killed leading the Entebbe hostage-rescue mission in Uganda.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

The wraparound configuration also allows the views to become a defining feature of the residence, rather than something reserved for a single room.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

The defining feature of the place is that the only thing the Rose brothers do is fight.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023