norm

noun \ ˈnȯrm \

|Updated on: 19 Aug 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

Taylor Swift is one of those whose stardom is an enduring exception to the norm of brief, hot musical stardom.

— The Aegis, "Wishing on a star [Editorial]," 13 July 2018
The rate also is well below the historical norm of 5.6 percent, which is the median monthly rate for all the months since the start of 1948.

— brooks jackson, Philly.com, "Trump's Numbers (Second Quarterly Update) | FactCheck," 11 July 2018
But in fact, a shift toward increasing rootedness is a worrying break with the historic American norm of dynamism and mobility.

— lyman stone, Vox, "The myth of the job-hopping, rootless millennial is just that — a myth," 11 July 2018
That has set up a test of how free countries are to defy EU norms of democracy.

— natalia ojewska, WSJ, "Polish Chief Justice Defies Government’s Supreme Court Overhaul," 4 July 2018
Her work has shown a resulting shift in power and norms of behavior in such situations, too, as a new population is suddenly living in dense urban areas.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Washington D.C. sued for putting 'creative class' above minority communities," 28 June 2018
His political ascendance is the product of a savvy bet that there would be no meaningful consequences for abusing the hallowed norms of Washington.

— jay willis, GQ, "Public Shaming Is Powerful," 25 June 2018
No one should lose sight of those twin realities or misunderstand what that tells us about a President willing to violate the norms of government for his own purposes.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "5 easy steps that explain just how out-of-bounds Donald Trump's FBI move really is," 22 May 2018
March was wetter than normal (1.89 inches, a half inch above normal), while April was a little drier (.99 inches, below the norm of 1.23 inches).

— katy moeller, idahostatesman, "Storm inundated Boise neighborhood Wednesday night. Is another soggy weekend ahead? | Idaho Statesman," 17 May 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