1
a
: physical magnitude, extent, or bulk : relative or proportionate dimensions
b
: relative aggregate amount or number
c
: considerable proportions : bigness
2
: one of a series of graduated measures especially of manufactured articles (as of clothing) conventionally identified by numbers or letters
a size seven hat
3
: character, quality, or status of a person or thing especially with reference to importance, relative merit, or correspondence to needs
Try this idea on for size.
4
: actual state of affairs
That's about the size of it.
5
dialectal British
: assize sense 2a
—usually used in plural
6
obsolete
: a fixed portion of food or drink
sized; sizing
1
: to make a particular size : bring to proper or suitable size
2
: to arrange, grade, or classify according to size or bulk
: to equal in size or other particular characteristic : compare
—usually used with up and often with to or with
: any of various glutinous materials (such as preparations of glue, flour, varnish, or resins) used for filling the pores in surfaces (as of paper, textiles, leather, or plaster) or for applying color or metal leaf (as to book edges or covers)
sized; sizing
: to cover, stiffen, or glaze with or as if with size
Synonyms
Examples of size in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Nearly six feet tall with long blond hair and usually toting a camera lens the size of a small howitzer, Groo is soft-spoken and deliberate.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The Vasuki indicus specimen dates back 47 million years and is almost double the average size of similar snakes, like pythons.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2024
Plenty of succulent varieties are naturally small, but the baby versions are about the size of your thumbnail.
—Lynn McAlpine, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2024
So, not only does the size of the unit matter, but so does your outdoor space.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2024
Both the ceramics and the baskets are between the size of a salad and soup bowl.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Photograph: Getty Images By the end of Friday, the size of the reward for mining bitcoin will have been cut in half.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
The hands-free bag is the perfect size for a cell phone, wallet, keys, and your favorite lip gloss.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Scott Kramer, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
To find the best fit among the brand's four sizes, use the handy sizing chart based on their shoe size.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 28 Mar. 2024
Luckily, sizing woes don’t have to cramp your style!
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
The President didn’t want to be measured, however, and asked Greenfield to replicate the sizing details of one of Obama’s existing suits.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
When Ron Lieber arrived at The Wall Street Journal’s office in 2002 for a job interview, a couple of editors immediately sized him up.
—Sarah Bahr, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Age-appropriate size: Furniture should be sized appropriately for your child to avoid discomfort or accidents caused by pieces that are too large or too small.
—Samantha McIntyre, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024
The workwear brand has been selling clothes sized for women for more than a century, starting with women's coveralls for industry workers in 1917.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Instead of being designed for a man’s foot and sized down for women, like so many on the market, the sneaker was specifically designed for the anatomy of a female foot, with a wider forefoot and narrower heel.
—Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Mar. 2024
Catarina Saraiva, Fortune, 29 June 2023
Mobile made the list for mid-size metros, landing at number 12 behind Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida.
—Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 7 Apr. 2023
This new model will compete with vehicles such as the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe and will be positioned as a sportier alternative to the existing GV80 mid-size luxury SUV.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 6 Apr. 2023
At Harris Reed's debut for Nina Ricci, Precious Lee opened the show — which also featured three more plus- and mid-size models.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 6 Apr. 2023
Chevy's staple mid-size SUV, the Equinox, saw sales decline 5.6% to 52,902.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2023
The executive didn’t reveal too much about the company’s latest EV but said it will be based on the mid-size SUV’s fourth generation and not the third, which is scheduled to debut in a matter of weeks.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2023
This classic cooler is a perfect mid-size option for tailgate parties and family get-togethers.
—Theresa Holland, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2023
Megaships have capacities of around 2,000 to 6,000 passengers; mid-size ships carry about 1,000-2,500; small ships can hold around 1,200 or less.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2023
Noun
Civic leaders are now looking to double the size of Measure H, moving it from a quarter-cent sales tax to a half-cent.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Nearly six feet tall with long blond hair and usually toting a camera lens the size of a small howitzer, Groo is soft-spoken and deliberate.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The Vasuki indicus specimen dates back 47 million years and is almost double the average size of similar snakes, like pythons.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2024
Plenty of succulent varieties are naturally small, but the baby versions are about the size of your thumbnail.
—Lynn McAlpine, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2024
So, not only does the size of the unit matter, but so does your outdoor space.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2024
Both the ceramics and the baskets are between the size of a salad and soup bowl.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Photograph: Getty Images By the end of Friday, the size of the reward for mining bitcoin will have been cut in half.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
The hands-free bag is the perfect size for a cell phone, wallet, keys, and your favorite lip gloss.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Verb
Make sure to get both of your feet measured, sizing the shoes for the longer of your feet.
—Scott Kramer, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
To find the best fit among the brand's four sizes, use the handy sizing chart based on their shoe size.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 28 Mar. 2024
Luckily, sizing woes don’t have to cramp your style!
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
The President didn’t want to be measured, however, and asked Greenfield to replicate the sizing details of one of Obama’s existing suits.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
When Ron Lieber arrived at The Wall Street Journal’s office in 2002 for a job interview, a couple of editors immediately sized him up.
—Sarah Bahr, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Age-appropriate size: Furniture should be sized appropriately for your child to avoid discomfort or accidents caused by pieces that are too large or too small.
—Samantha McIntyre, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024
The workwear brand has been selling clothes sized for women for more than a century, starting with women's coveralls for industry workers in 1917.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Instead of being designed for a man’s foot and sized down for women, like so many on the market, the sneaker was specifically designed for the anatomy of a female foot, with a wider forefoot and narrower heel.
—Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Mar. 2024
Adjective
While the largest banks remain well capitalized and safe, and the size diversity of the country’s banking system should be preserved, more may need to be done in overseeing mid-size banks and the nonbank sector.
—Catarina Saraiva, Fortune, 29 June 2023
Mobile made the list for mid-size metros, landing at number 12 behind Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida.
—Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 7 Apr. 2023
This new model will compete with vehicles such as the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe and will be positioned as a sportier alternative to the existing GV80 mid-size luxury SUV.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 6 Apr. 2023
At Harris Reed's debut for Nina Ricci, Precious Lee opened the show — which also featured three more plus- and mid-size models.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 6 Apr. 2023
Chevy's staple mid-size SUV, the Equinox, saw sales decline 5.6% to 52,902.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2023
The executive didn’t reveal too much about the company’s latest EV but said it will be based on the mid-size SUV’s fourth generation and not the third, which is scheduled to debut in a matter of weeks.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2023
This classic cooler is a perfect mid-size option for tailgate parties and family get-togethers.
—Theresa Holland, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2023
Megaships have capacities of around 2,000 to 6,000 passengers; mid-size ships carry about 1,000-2,500; small ships can hold around 1,200 or less.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'size.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near size
Cite this Entry
“Size.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/size. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
size
1 of 5 noun1
: physical extent or bulk
2
a
: the measurements of a thing
b
: relative amount or number
3
: one of a series of measures especially of manufactured articles (as of clothing) usually identified by numbers or letters
size
2 of 5 verb
sized; sizing
1
: to make a particular size
2
: to arrange, grade, or classify according to size
3
: to form a judgment of
—used with up
sizing up the candidates
size
3 of 5 adjective
ˈsīz 
ˌsīz
: sized sense 1
medium-size
size
4 of 5 noun
: a gluey material (as a preparation of glue, flour, or varnish) used for filling the pores in a surface (as of plaster), as a stiffener (as of fabric), or as an adhesive
size
5 of 5 verb
sized; sizing
: to apply size to
Etymology
Noun
Middle English sise "a law, a law controlling weights and measures used in the marketplace, a fixed portion of food and drink," from early French sise (same meaning), from earlier assise "a lawmaking session, legal action," from asseoir "to seat," derived from Latin assidere "to sit beside, assist (a judge)," from ad- "toward, near" and sedēre "to sit"
Noun
Middle English sise "something gluey used as a filler, stiffener, or adhesive"
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