density

noun

den·si·ty | \ ˈden(t)-sə-tē

plural densities

Definition of density

1 : the quality or state of being dense measures of traffic density the density of the cake felt that the candidate's density on the subject of equality was alarming the density of her prose

2 mathematics : the quantity per unit volume (see volume entry 1 sense 2), unit area (see area sense 1), or unit length: such as

a chemistry : the mass (see mass entry 2 sense 1c) of a substance per unit volume

b chemistry : the distribution of a quantity (such as mass, electricity, or energy) per unit usually of space (such as length, area, or volume)

c : the average number of individuals or units per space unit a population density of 500 per square mile a housing density of 10 houses per acre

3 physics

a : the degree of opacity (see opacity sense 2) of a translucent medium the fog's density

b : the common logarithm of the opacity

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about density

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Examples of density in a Sentence

We were surprised by the fog's density. the density of her writing style These instruments are used for measuring the density of the atmosphere.

Recent Examples on the Web

One of the most pernicious effects of low-density suburbs lying near cities is the massive increase in traffic congestion. — James Sutton, National Review, "The California Housing Crisis and the Problem with Local Control," 19 June 2019 Widely considered the lightning capital of the U.S. for its sheer density of flashes, the state's heat, humidity and sea breezes from its dual coasts make severe weather events more likely. — Scottie Andrew And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "A motorcyclist is killed by a bolt of lightning in Florida," 10 June 2019 The result has me eager to get a Blu-ray copy and savor its sight-gag density. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Wreck-It Ralph 2 review: Everything we wish Ready Player One had been," 21 Nov. 2018 The Padres outfield might not reach its maximum density, after all. — Kevin Acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres lose Franchy Cordero for extended period," 19 June 2018 Also, our traffic density off of Lisbon has been growing exponentially. — Evan Frank, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Number of Oconomowoc residents speak out against proposed senior apartments," 19 Mar. 2018 On top of all of this, suburban communities, having lower density to begin with, resist building housing the most. — James Sutton, National Review, "The California Housing Crisis and the Problem with Local Control," 19 June 2019 That tissue is then taken to Vericel’s cell-processing lab in Cambridge, where the cells are cultured in flasks and then placed on a matchbook-size collagen membrane at a density of at least half-a-million cells per square centimeter. — Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, "Fast-growing Vericel finds success on two fronts: knee surgery and burn care," 11 June 2019 The program doesn’t employ security guards, and its lots operate at a higher density than the ones in Los Angeles, which must leave an empty space between each car. — Sonja Sharp, latimes.com, "16,000 people in L.A. now live in cars, vans and RVs. But safe parking remains limited," 10 June 2019

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