Showing results for "defining"

• present participle of define.

defining

American  

[dih-fahy-ning] / dɪˈfaɪ nɪŋ /

adjective

1. decisive; critically important.

   Taking a course in architecture was a defining turn in her life.

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Other Word Forms

• nondefining
  adjective
• self-defining
  adjective

Explanation

Something defining is essential to what something is. A defining moment in your life helps makes you what you are. In the dictionary, definitions tell you what words mean, and the similar word defining has to do with what things are too. The defining characteristic of a chair is that you sit on it. The defining feature of food is you can eat it. People have defining features too: if you went to a summer camp and had an amazing time, it could be a defining time in your life. Defining things helps shape and mold us.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defining

One of the defining aspects of a multicamera TV show is the laughter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Family members say three of Lobga’s uncles perished during a defining Chinese crackdown on Tibet in 1959—when the young Dalai Lama fled to India—and other relatives were imprisoned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Still, Novo blowing its massive lead raises fresh questions about the ability of European companies to compete in key technologies defining the global economy, financial and economic analysts say.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Time will tell if the next defining figure emerges immediately.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

“One of the defining characteristics of the Divergent is that their minds are Assistant to simulations,” says Tobias.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth