average

1 of 3

noun

av·​er·​age ˈa-v(ə-)rij How to pronounce average (audio)
1
a
: a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values
2
a
: an estimation of or approximation to an arithmetic mean
b
: a level (as of intelligence) typical of a group, class, or series
above the average
3
: a ratio expressing the average performance especially of an athletic team or an athlete computed according to the number of opportunities for successful performance
a batting average

average

2 of 3

adjective

1
: equaling an arithmetic mean
2
a
: being about midway between extremes
a man of average height
b
: not out of the ordinary : common
on an average day
the average person
averagely adverb
averageness noun

average

3 of 3

verb

averaged; averaging

intransitive verb

1
a
: to be or come to an average
The gain averaged out to 20 percent.
b
: to have a medial value of
colors that average to gray
2
: to buy on a falling market or sell on a rising market additional shares or commodities so as to obtain a more favorable average price
usually used with down or up

transitive verb

1
: to do, get, or have on the average or as an average sum or quantity
averages 12 hours of work a day
2
: to find the arithmetic mean of (a series of unequal quantities)
3
a
: to bring toward the average
b
: to divide among a number according to a size, number, or amount that is directly related to or appropriate for something
average a loss
Phrases
on average or on the average
: taking the typical example of the group under consideration
Prices have increased on average by five percent. [=the average increase has been five percent]

Did you know?

The word average came into English from Middle French avarie, a derivative of an Arabic word meaning “damaged merchandise.” Avarie originally meant damage sustained by a ship or its cargo, but came to mean the expenses of such damage. When the English borrowed the word, they altered it to conform to the pattern of words ending in -age. When a ship or its cargo was damaged at sea, the owners or insurers shared the expense, or average. An average-adjuster determined a division of costs among them. An average then became any equal distribution or division, like the determination of an arithmetic mean. Soon the arithmetic mean itself was called an average. Now the word may be applied to any mean or middle value or level.

Choose the Right Synonym for average

average, mean, median, norm mean something that represents a middle point.

average is the quotient obtained by dividing the sum total of a set of figures by the number of figures.

scored an average of 85 on tests

mean may be the simple average or it may represent value midway between two extremes.

a high of 70° and a low of 50° give a mean of 60°

median applies to the value that represents the point at which there are as many instances above as there are below.

average of a group of persons earning 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10 dollars an hour is 6 dollars, whereas the median is 5 dollars

norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.

scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

Examples of average in a Sentence

Noun The average of 16, 8, and 6 is 10. Take all these temperatures and find their average. An average of 2,000 people attended the show each night. Prices have increased on average about eight percent. On average, women live longer than men. His work has been above the average. Adjective Take all these temperatures and find their average temperature. The investment had a higher average return. The average age of the company's employees is 36. The average woman lives longer than the average man. Do you know what the average person earns? the average American family buyer Sales were about average for the industry on the whole. Average grades are not good enough to get you into graduate school. She was an average student. She thought the performance was just average. Verb The teacher averaged the students' grades. What figure do you get when you average the amount of rainfall for the last three months?
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Metro Detroit’s current average is $3.44 per gallon, 19 cents more than last week’s average and 3 cents more than this same time last year. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 The national vaccination average for kindergarteners has dropped approximately two percentage points since before the pandemic. Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 Paxton lost a little bit of steam on his fastball, which dipped to an average of 93.9 mph and 93.8 mph in two of his last six starts, and his breaking pitches lost some bite. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 The five-year average is 19 and ten-year average is 17.7. Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Horton was second behind George in yards after catch (8.6 average) and caught the 52-yard TD against Texas A&M. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Fortune 500 CEOs spend an average of 4.5 years at the helm, compared to 7.2 years for men. Alan Murray, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024 On the Central Coast, each grower has an average of 5.75 licenses, almost four times the average of 1.62 in the Emerald Triangle. Brad Branan, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Wyoming residents were only willing to give up 10 months, but those from Oregon would give up 5 years and 6 months, and Washingtonians had the fourth-highest average of 6 years and 2 months. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 21 Feb. 2024
Adjective
In January, the global average temperature measured 1.66 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial reference period, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. World & Nation The planet is dangerously close to this climate threshold. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The average length of stay ran from six months to a year. The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2024 The average savings, according to the regulator, could be $220 per year for the more than 45 million people who are charged late fees. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024 These systems come in different shapes, sizes and configurations, but May ballparks the average cost of one suited to a single-family home or an ADU like Ferrari’s at $8,000 to $10,000. Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 In February, Target’s prices were on average 8.6% higher than Walmart, according to an analysis by RBC Capital Markets analysts. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Bloomberg New Energy Finance research found that in order for average global temperature increases to remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is optimum, the ratio of investments in low-carbon energy to fossil fuels needs to reach a minimum of 4 to 1 by 2030. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 The standard size of a shower curtain is approximately 72 x 72 inches, or 12 inches wider than an average 60-inch bathtub. Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2024 The company employs more than 33,000 people with an average wage of $18.76 per hour. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
Hampered by a stress fracture in her shin that required a metal rod being inserted into her lower leg, Williams is only averaging 10.7 minutes per game, but makes the most out of her opportunities by changing the pace on defense with an aggressive press. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Large issuers tend to charge slightly higher late fees, averaging $32, the CFPB said. The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Overall he’s averaged 13.4 minutes per game in 29 games. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 That’s below the 13.5% gain the index has averaged during the third year of presidential terms since 1931. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 The rule would not affect interest rates on unpaid credit card balances, which average more than 20%. Scott Horsley, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Even with those struggles, Severino showed top-10 fastball velocity by averaging 96.4 with the pitcher. Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 The unit was exposed in the 48-32 season-ending playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers when running back Aaron Jones rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 The Bruins limited Utah’s offense that averages 81.3 points per game to its second-lowest scoring night of the season. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'average.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb

from earlier average proportionally distributed charge for damage at sea, modification of Middle French avarie damage to ship or cargo, from Old Italian avaria, from Arabic ʽawārīya damaged merchandise

First Known Use

Noun

1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1769, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of average was in 1746

Dictionary Entries Near average

Cite this Entry

“Average.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/average. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

average

1 of 3 noun
av·​er·​age ˈav-(ə-)rij How to pronounce average (audio)
1
2
: a level typical of a group, class, or series
their work is above the average
3
: a ratio of successful tries to total tries
batting average

average

2 of 3 adjective
1
: equaling or close to an arithmetic mean
2
: being ordinary or usual
the average person
an average day
averagely adverb
averageness noun

average

3 of 3 verb
averaged; averaging
1
: to amount to on the average
they average four feet in height
2
: to do or get usually
she averaged 40 miles a day
3
: to find the average of
average the grades

More from Merriam-Webster on average

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