norm

noun \ ˈnȯrm \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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.

4 a : 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 ¹vector 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 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 2a) into smaller intervals

See norm defined for English-language learners

See norm defined for kids

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 of norm from the Web

But Rice University's new vice president for enrollment said last week that applicants to Rice are likely to have submitted applications to fewer than 10 schools -- making Brown's story far from the norm.

— lindsay ellis, Houston Chronicle, "Applying to dozens of colleges isn't common despite viral reports, Rice's admissions head says," 4 June 2018
What’s more crucial is nailing the handful of attributes that define the wine for the casual drinker, those points of difference that deviate from the norm.

— bruce schoenfeld, WIRED, "Your Next Glass of Wine Might Be a Fake—and You'll Love It," 30 May 2018
The lottery winners, on average, were slightly happier than the control group, and the recently disabled were slightly less happy — but neither group diverged from the norm as drastically as would be expected.

— adam sternbergh, The Cut, "Read This Story and Get Happier," 28 May 2018
So, breaking from the norm, the Detroit Tigers had Gardenhire speak to reporters inside the visitors dugout Monday afternoon.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers' Ron Gardenhire loves Twins but will try to 'whup' 'em," 21 May 2018
This is the one rule-bend that Harry and Meghan most definitely didn’t want, but the rollercoaster of events relating to Meghan’s side of the family in the lead up to her big day meant that there was a significant departure from the royal norm.

— marcia moody, Town & Country, "All the Ways Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding Broke Royal Tradition," 19 May 2018
Trinity Forest will present a serene environment and a quirky, nuanced test that's a departure from the norm on the PGA Tour.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "AT&T Byron Nelson Preview: History, FIeld, Odds, Predictions," 16 May 2018
The trial was covered on national television, emphasizing the intolerance sometimes faced by those who deviate from the norm in conservative areas.

— steve helling, PEOPLE.com, "How the Killing of a Punk Rocker by a Clean-Cut Jock Tore a Texas City Apart," 27 Apr. 2018
In an accepting culture, people are empowered to diverge from the norm.

— michael bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Why Bay Area chefs are on the cutting edge of innovation nationally," 26 Apr. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of norm

borrowed from Latin norma "carpenterʼs square, pattern," probably borrowed from an Etruscan adaptation of Greek gnṓmōn "carpenterʼs square, indicator on a sundial" — more at gnomon

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1674

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

norm Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

NORM Defined for English Language Learners

norm

noun

Definition of norm for English Language Learners

norms : standards of proper or acceptable behavior
the norm : an average level of development or achievement
the norm : something (such as a behavior or way of doing something) that is usual or expected