error bar

noun

: the estimated uncertainty in experimental data

Examples of error bar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The survey’s error bars were wide, and in those years, any increase in the numbers was not statistically significant. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2024 Once again the error bars are wide, which is why the CDC’s data brief asserts that the apparent drop in the obesity rate, from 41.9 percent to 40.3 percent, is better understood as a new plateau. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2024 The team noticed that there were large error bars on the TRGB measurement. Liz Kruesi, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2024 Frye expects to refine those error bars after a few more years of similar measurements. Liz Kruesi, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for error bar 

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of error bar was in 1968

Dictionary Entries Near error bar

Cite this Entry

“Error bar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/error%20bar. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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