array

1 of 2

verb

ar·​ray ə-ˈrā How to pronounce array (audio)
arrayed; arraying; arrays

transitive verb

1
: to dress or decorate especially in splendid or impressive attire : adorn
… he had already arrayed himself in his best clothes.Thomas Hardy
2
a
: to set or place in order : draw up, marshal
the forces arrayed against us
b
: to set or set forth in order (something, such as a jury) for the trial of a cause
3
: to arrange or display in or as if in an array
The … data are arrayed in descending order.Ed Burnett
arrayer noun

array

2 of 2

noun

1
: an imposing group : large number
faced a whole array of problems
also : variety, assortment
a broad array of styles
2
a
: a regular and imposing grouping or arrangement : order
lined up … in soldierly arrayDonald Barthelme
b
law : an orderly listing of jurors impaneled
3
b
: rich or beautiful apparel : finery
4
: a body of soldiers : militia
the baron and his feudal array
5
a(1)
: a number of mathematical elements arranged in rows and columns
(2)
: a data structure in which similar elements of data are arranged in a table
b
: a series of statistical data arranged in classes in order of magnitude
6
: a group of elements forming a complete unit
an antenna array

Examples of array in a Sentence

Verb She arrayed herself in rich velvets and satins. a door arrayed for the holidays with a beautiful evergreen wreath Noun an array of solar panels an array of baseball gloves in the corner of his room
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The space currently functions as a warehouse, but Mr. Sweets dreams of turning it into an artists’ bazaar, perhaps with taxidermy mounts arrayed throughout: the elephant here, the giraffe and hippo there. Katrina Miller, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2023 Each evening before the drive day, all 10 vehicles were arrayed on the lawns of Carneros Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., and the Boca Raton resort in Florida, respectively, for a late-afternoon welcome reception made all the more welcome by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024 At the memorial, a sampling from the collection was arrayed in display cases, where guests (many wearing Victorian-style elastic mourning bands on their sleeves, with a button featuring Mann’s photograph) could ogle them. Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024 Their obstructionism compelled Obama to stretch the bounds of presidential authority, and the courts were arrayed against him to a suspicious degree. Noah Rothman, National Review, 4 Jan. 2024 The vivid hues continue inside but are arrayed in more complex ways. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 The Express Key buttons are arrayed along the grain-leather-like surface of the indented grips on the left and right side panels. PCMAG, 26 Jan. 2024 Kelly showed off the Allegheny Labor Council’s war room, where maps and computers were arrayed to help volunteers contact about 100,000 union members in the county. Tim Craig, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023 His sparring partners included his friends Theodor W. Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Ernst Bloch, and Margarete Susman, but also novelists like Roth and influential thinkers such as Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and others arrayed around the influential rabbi Nehemias Anton Nobel. Johannes Von Moltke, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023
Noun
The campaign finds Kendall and her friends under sunny skies in an array of classic American pieces: button-up shirts, polos, blazers and more. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 The application arrived with an array of issues: the website was only operational for parts of the day during initial weeks, many students were kicked out of the portal while attempting to fill out the form, and some parents were unable to access it at all. Hannah Poukish, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Music and concert experiences are reimagined by an array of curators and collaborators, often employing elements of theater, dance and visual media to add new dimensions of color and texture to the total experience. The Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2024 From Joshua Tree nearby to a generous array of spa resorts, like The Colony Palms Hotel, Palm Springs, serves as the perfect desert oasis and retreat. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 4 Mar. 2024 In addition to seeing an array of international artists perform, Co-op Live was recently announced as host of the 2024 MTV European Music Awards – the first time music’s biggest global awards show will be staged in Manchester – and the awards return to the U.K. for the first time in seven years. Dave Brooks, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024 Start with an array of montaditos, topped with everything from foie gras to anchovies, and then move on to chicken béchamel croquetas and shrimp bathed in a brandy-garlic sauce. Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 The lawsuit adds to an array of problems piling up for OpenAI. Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The first demo was a Giga-MIMO prototype showing the Giga-MIMO antenna array operating in the 13 GHz band with 4096 antenna elements. Anshel Sag, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'array.' 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

Verb

Middle English arayen, arrayen "to put in order, prepare, marshal (troops), equip, adorn," borrowed from Anglo-French arraier, arreyer, aroier "to arrange, order, marshal, set in order (a jury, assize), equip, attire, adorn" (continental Old French areer), going back to Vulgar Latin *arrēdāre, from Latin ad- ad- + Vulgar Latin *-rēdāre, in *conrēdāre, presumed adaptation of Gothic garedan "to make provision for" — more at curry entry 1

Note: The forms arrai-, aroi- presumably represent generalizations of the tonic stem of areer. The verb *arrēdāre is common to most Romance languages: Old Occitan arezar "to put in order," Catalan arrear "to provide," Spanish, "to adorn, decorate," Italian arredare "to furnish, equip."

Noun

Middle English aray, array, arraye "preparation, arrangement, condition, line of soldiers, equipment, adornment," borrowed from Anglo-French arrai, arraie "order, arrangement, condition, ordered list of jurors, body of men, entourage, equipment," noun derivative of arraier "to order, array entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of array was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near array

Cite this Entry

“Array.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/array. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

array

1 of 2 verb
ar·​ray ə-ˈrā How to pronounce array (audio)
1
: to set in order : draw up
soldiers arrayed for review
2
: to dress especially in fine clothing : adorn
arrayer noun

array

2 of 2 noun
1
: regular order or arrangement
also : persons (as troops) in array
2
: rich or beautiful clothing
3
: an impressive group : large number
a whole array of problems
4
: a group of mathematical elements (as numbers or letters) arranged in rows and columns

Legal Definition

array

1 of 2 transitive verb
ar·​ray ə-ˈrā How to pronounce array (audio)
: to set (a jury) for trial
specifically : to set (a jury) by calling out the names of the jurors one at a time compare impanel

array

2 of 2 noun
: the group of people summoned to serve as jurors from which the jury will be chosen
also : a list of the jurors' names see also challenge to the array at challenge compare venire

More from Merriam-Webster on array

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!