norm

noun

\ ˈnȯrm

Definition of norm

1 : an authoritative standard : model

2 : a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior No society lacks norms governing conduct.— Robert K. Merton

3 : average: such as

a : a set standard of development or achievement usually derived from the average or median achievement of a large group

b : a pattern or trait taken to be typical in the behavior of a social group studies aimed at establishing the norms of sexual behavior among the middle classes

c : a widespread or usual practice, procedure, or custom standing ovations became the norm Bilingualism is the norm in many countries.

4a : a real-valued nonnegative function defined on a vector space with value analogous to length and satisfying the conditions that the function is zero if and only if the vector (see vector entry 1 sense 1a) is zero, the function of the product of a scalar and a vector is equal to the product of the absolute value of the scalar and the function of the vector, and the function of the sum of two vectors is less than or equal to the sum of the functions of the two vectors specifically : the square root of the sum of the squares of the absolute values of the elements of a matrix (see matrix sense 5a) or of the components of a vector

b : the greatest distance between two successive points of a set of points that partition an interval (see interval sense 2a) into smaller intervals

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about norm

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Choose the Right Synonym for norm

average, mean, median, norm mean something that represents a middle point. average is the quotient obtained by dividing the sum total of a set of figures by the number of figures. scored an average of 85 on tests mean may be the simple average or it may represent value midway between two extremes. a high of 70° and a low of 50° give a mean of 60° median applies to the value that represents the point at which there are as many instances above as there are below. average of a group of persons earning 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10 dollars an hour is 6 dollars, whereas the median is 5 dollars norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade. scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

Examples of norm in a Sentence

She scored well above the norm in math. Smaller families have become the norm. Women used to stay at home to take care of the children, but that's no longer the norm.

Recent Examples on the Web

With ill-fitting tuxes and mean tweets and weird fist bumps, the Trumps, led by our incurious and norm-eviscerating president, gave the royal family a taste of what nonbrainwashed Americans have had to endure since Jan. 20, 2017. — Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, "What the (BLEEP) just happened? Rex Huppke's 'Week In Review'," 7 June 2019 Lister was ahead of her time, but not in the obvious way: not because of her desire, or even her willingness to throw off norms. — Jeanna Kadlec, Longreads, "The 19th Century Lesbian Made for 21st Century Consumption," 7 June 2019 Cultural imperialism: Establishing the rules and customs of the ruling class as the norm. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Dodgeball is a tool of ‘oppression’ used to ‘dehumanize’ others, researchers argue," 7 June 2019 With so much content available, and so much screen time becoming the norm — replacing hours devoted to fitness, socializing and sleeping — the potential health implications of binge-watching are becoming more obvious. — Jenna Birch, sun-sentinel.com, "How binge watching is hazardous to your health," 6 June 2019 And Thursday’s Stanford report calls out another important component as well: The need to forge international norms discouraging hacking and digital meddling in foreign elections. — Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, "Election Security Is Still Hurting at Every Level," 6 June 2019 As social attitudes and norms changed, so did the Police Department. — Michael Gold, New York Times, "Stonewall Riot Apology: Police Actions Were ‘Wrong,’ Commissioner Admits," 6 June 2019 Trump is not exactly a huge respecter of norms or a big believer in independence. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Judy Shelton’s potential nomination to a Federal Reserve Board seat, explained," 5 June 2019 Phoenix is a nonprofit organization that empowers girls through music, education, creation and performance, providing a safe and supportive environment for girls from diverse backgrounds to take risks and challenge gender norms. — Ed Masley, azcentral, "Local music picks for Phoenix: Flotsam and Jetsam, Wade Cota, Joey DeFrancesco, DaDadoh," 5 June 2019

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