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definition

noun

def·i·ni·tion | \ˌde-fə-ˈni-shən

Definition of definition

1a : a statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol dictionary definitions

b : a statement expressing the essential nature of something

c : a product of defining

2 : the action or process of stating the meaning of a word or word group

3a : the action or the power of describing, explaining, or making definite and clear the definition of a telescope her comic genius is beyond definition

b(1) : clarity of visual presentation : distinctness of outline or detail improve the definition of an image

(2) : clarity especially of musical sound in reproduction

c : sharp demarcation of outlines or limits a jacket with distinct waist definition

4 : an act of determining specifically : the formal proclamation of a Roman Catholic dogma

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Examples of definition in a Sentence

For the last eight years or so, I've been watching the evolution of bikes made for women. At the beginning of that time, there were a small number of women's bikes available, most offered with low-end, sometimes no-name, spec, as if by definition all women riders were beginners. — Christine Bucher, Bicycling, March 2008 Not only is Ellen Byrne a chocolatier, but she takes the definition of artisan to a higher level. — Amy Johansson, Chocolatier, February/March 2006 One kind of poverty is that of the imagination—the inability to envision a future truly different from the present. Jasmine had long judged people based on whether or not they gave her food and clothing, but, as she watched Carolyn and Gus and other families, she found herself mulling different gauges of worth. She'd been working lately on a definition of love. — Katherine Boo, New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2005 Ideology thus provides definition of both systemic reality and values: it provides a set of preconceptions of what is and of what ought to be. — Warren J. Samuels, Modern Economic Thought, (1977) 1993 What is the legal definition of a corporation? A week of fishing is my definition of a vacation. a monitor with good definition and vibrant colors

Recent Examples on the Web

And that is the definition of being a middle child, at least in my family. — Adam Sternbergh, The Cut, "The Extinction of the Middle Child," 11 July 2018 The growing dominance of streaming services including Hulu and Netflix, combined with premium cable networks HBO and Showtime, continue to overshadow the broadcast networks that were once the very definition of television. — Fox News, "Did Barr's racist tweet kill 'Roseanne's' Emmy chances?," 10 July 2018 This house in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture is the very definition of indoor-outdoor living. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Cool Japanese house is half home, half greenhouse," 29 June 2018 And its move to block Garland's nomination was the definition of brazen. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "Democrats’ bogus argument about what the GOP said about Supreme Court nominees in an election year," 27 June 2018 This year, the grocery chain tackled the pricey seasonal coffee trend with six different offerings — spanning from ready-to-drink cans to long-lasting bottles of concentrate — and each is the definition of a summer budget saver. — Elizabeth Buxton, refinery29.com, "We Sipped Every Cold Brew At Trader Joe's & This Is Our Favorite," 27 June 2018 Seared by gases at hundreds of degrees centigrade and superheated volcanic materials that in time hardened into 60 feet of rock, the distorted, crumbling rolls were believed by most scholars to be the very definition of a lost cause. — Henrik Knudsen, Smithsonian, "Buried by the Ash of Vesuvius, These Scrolls Are Being Read for the First Time in Millennia," 26 June 2018 Prioritizing one’s own content above rivals is the very definition of anti-competitive behavior. — David Dayen, The New Republic, "The AT&T–Time Warner Merger Is Already What the Government Feared," 22 June 2018 This is open to interpretation, because there is no definition as to what makes harassment severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment. — Alexia Fernández Campbell, Vox, "The legal difference between sexual misconduct, assault, and harassment, explained," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'definition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for definition

Middle English diffinicioun, borrowed from Anglo-French diffiniciun, definiciun, borrowed from Latin dēfīnītiōn-, dēfīnītiō "fixing of a boundary, precise description," from dēfīnīre "to mark the limits of, determine, define" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

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