average

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

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.

Examples of average in a Sentence

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

Both have traveled around the league quite a bit, but are combining to average almost 40 points per game for the Tempo. —David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026

Highs will be closer to average for early June on Sunday and Monday. —Daniel Peck, ABC News, 6 June 2026

Hidden homeownership costs reach an average of $21,400 annually, with maintenance alone averaging $8,808 per year – often taking first-time buyers by surprise. —Kathy Collins, Fortune, 6 June 2026

Home crowds averaged nearly 20,000 folks shy of capacity at Memorial Stadium. —Terence Moore, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing average

• arithmetic average
• average/normal/general/usual run of
• average out
• average out to
• batting average
• Dow Jones average
• earned run average
• grade point average
• on average
• on the average
• quality point average
• slugging average
• sub-average
• un-average

Kids Definition

average

1 of 3 noun

av·​er·​age ˈav-(ə-)rij 

1

: arithmetic mean

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