even

1 of 2

verb

evened; evening ˈēv-niŋ 

ˈē-və-

transitive verb

: to make even

intransitive verb

: to become even

evener

ˈēv-nər, 

ˈē-və- 

noun

evener

2 of 2

noun

even·​er ˈēv(ə)nə(r) 

plural -s

: one that makes even: such as

a

: a pivoting bar of wood which is often reinforced with metal and at each end of which a pivoting singletree is attached

b

: any of various devices on textile machines that regulate the flow or size of material

Synonyms of even

Verb

• smooth
• shave
• plane

Examples of even in a Sentence

Verb

even the filling before adding the top layer of the cake

the contention that producing more arms will even us with the enemy and therefore make us more secure

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Grant Taylor earned his second save by striking out the side in the ninth inning as the White Sox evened the three-game series with Philadelphia. —CBS News, 6 June 2026

But with an offensive bounce-back and strong pitching performances on the front and back end, the Dodgers evened the series at Chase Field. —Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

Florida evened the ledger in the second game, but Texas Tech prevailed with a 16-7 thumping in the finale. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 June 2026

San Antonio won the conference finals’ opening game, evened the series at 2-2 in Game 4, but faced the brink of elimination after losing in Game 5 before winning two straight to topple the team expected by many to win the NBA title. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 31 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing even

• break-even
• break-even point
• can't even begin to describe
• didn't even blink
• don't even think about (doing) it
• even as
• even if
• even-keeled
• even money
• even now/then
• even number
• even out
• even permutation
• even so
• even-tempered
• even the score
• even though
• even-toed
• get even
• get even with
• not (even) blink
• on an even keel
• on even keel

Rhymes for even

• steven
• breakeven
• genevan
• uneven

Kids Definition

even

1 of 4 noun

ˈē-vən 

archaic

: evening

even

2 of 4 adjective

1

a

: having a horizontal surface : flat

even ground

b

: being without breaks or bumps : smooth

an even line

c

: being on the same line or level

houses even with each other

2

a

: equal in size, number, or amount

even distances apart

b

: staying the same over a period of time

even breathing

3

a

: without advantage on either side : fair

start out even

an even trade

b

: leaving nothing due on either side

now we're even

c

: showing neither profit nor loss

4

a

: being any number that can be divided by two without remainder

2, 4, 6, 8, … are even numbers

b

: marked by an even number

an even page of a book

5

: being whole or exact without a remainder or fractional part

an even dollar

an even dozen

evenly adverb

evenness

-vən-nəs 

noun

even

3 of 4 adverb

1

a

: exactly sense 1, precisely

believes even as we do

b

: to a degree that extends : fully

faithful even to death

c

: at the very same time

raining even as the sun came out

2

: indeed

willing, even eager, to help

3

—used to stress an extreme or highly unlikely condition or instance

so simple even a child can do it

4

: to a greater extent or degree

even better

5

—used to stress the smallness of an amount or effort

didn't even offer to help

gave it not even a glance

even

4 of 4 verb

evened; evening ˈēv-(ə-)niŋ 

: to make or become even

evener

ˈēv-(ə-)nər 

noun