density

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 That’s quite similar to the density of cotton candy, and more than a dozen times airier than the gas giant Jupiter. — Charlie Wood, Popular Science, "These ‘super puff’ planets have the same density as cotton candy," 27 Dec. 2019 This is similar to the density of Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Collision liquified the 4th-largest asteroid, turning it into a dwarf planet," 29 Oct. 2019 Higher intakes of silica, a mineral found in quartz, is linked to higher bone density. — Christy Brissette, chicagotribune.com, "There’s no solid evidence alkaline water is better for you," 29 Aug. 2019 Beginning in 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also tried to establish a population in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but that attempt failed due in part to a low prey density, and the animals moving out of the park to find food. — National Geographic, "Red wolves," 27 July 2019 Detractors see the associations as entrenched, overly powerful voices for homeowners, who tend to be older, white and opposed to housing density, homeless shelters and other development helpful to a growing city’s health. — oregonlive.com, "Emotions flare as Portland, long friendly to neighborhoods, weighs gutting their powers," 2 July 2019 In other words, developers of projects within the San Antonio Shopping Center area can pay the district and receive an increase to density allowed on their sites. — Maggie Angst, The Mercury News, "South Bay school district makes $155 million land purchase. Its purpose is still uncertain.," 27 June 2019 The city of Gulf Shores plans to pre-zone the 13.9 acres at Jasmine Trails Apartments at 19451 Oak Road East in Gulf Shores to multi-family low density and then automatically annex the property into the city, according to city records. — Kathy Jumper, al.com, "Investors buy mobile home park," 24 June 2019 Schrödinger’s first inclination was to suppose that the amplitude of his wave function at some point in space — equivalent to the height of a water wave, say — corresponds to the density of the smeared-out quantum particle at that point. — Quanta Magazine, "Mysterious Quantum Rule Reconstructed From Scratch," 13 Feb. 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.