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

Getty Images The rise of mass surveillance and biometric analysis in public space Since 9/11, mass surveillance has become the norm for law enforcement, which uses a variety of tactics to monitor people. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "Facial recognition is becoming one of the 21st century’s biggest public space issues," 19 Oct. 2018 And catfishing — the term for when someone is corresponding online while using a false identity — is becoming more and more common, especially in a world where online dating is the norm for so many romantic connections. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "I Really Tried to Like “Sierra Burgess,” But Catfishing Isn’t Romantic — It’s Harmful," 10 Sep. 2018 But in recent months, longer, busier days in the lab are becoming the norm for McManaman, as a mounting workload literally piles up behind her. — Emilie Ikeda, Fox News, "Dealers return to the streets thanks to steep drug analysis backlogs," 3 Aug. 2018 Markle hugged several children on a January trip to Wales, which is considered outside the norm for a royal. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Every Single Time Meghan Markle's Broken Royal Protocol," 16 July 2018 Four-card ballots have become the norm for San Francisco elections, Arntz said. — Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, "London Breed adds to her narrow lead over Mark Leno in San Francisco mayoral race," 10 June 2018 Jim Moore, director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University, said three or four debates has long been the norm for Oregon gubernatorial campaigns. — Hillary Borrud, OregonLive.com, "Knute Buehler and Kate Brown's first debate topic is the number of debates," 30 May 2018 Burrow's ability to dissect defenses and make correct reads on plays even when his first option was wide open isn't the norm for most high school QBs. — Andrew Lopez, NOLA.com, "New LSU quarterback Joe Burrow born ready for his shot at starter," 26 May 2018 This is the norm for teams that struggle to win for different reasons. — Mike Anthony, courant.com, "Hartford Baseball Teams Enjoy Big Stage Toward End Of Difficult Seasons," 22 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.