the norm

noun

: an average level of development or achievement

She scored well above/below the norm in math.

: something (such as a behavior or way of doing something) that is usual or expected

Smaller families have become the norm.

Examples of the norm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Traveling to races by public transport is the norm. —

Reina Sasaki, Fortune Europe, 17 Apr. 2024 Restrepo, as has been the norm throughout his career, made an acrobatic grab. —

Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024 Some big technological innovations promise to make people more productive, but a four-day workweek will not be the norm anytime soon. —

Allison Schrager, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024 Its power-train layout would go on to become the norm for Maranello. —

Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024 True widths for the apparent mineralization intersection widths of the five holes approximately range from 50 to 100% of the apparent widths, with the norm for the mineralized true widths being 60 to 90% of the apparent widths. —

Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024 Of course, these kinds of ongoing updates have become the norm since No Man’s Sky launched in 2016, adding not only new gameplay elements but also expanding to more platforms like VR and the Nintendo Switch. —

Andrew Webster, The Verge, 27 Mar. 2024 Fowler, who specializes in American politics and Congress, said narrow House majorities have not always been the norm. —

Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024 Besides repeatedly making exceptional plays this spring during media viewing — one-handed, acrobatic grabs are the norm — Lofton is being used as a running back and in the slot. —

Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024

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