permutation
noun
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Definition of permutation
1 : often major or fundamental change (as in character or condition) based primarily on rearrangement of existent elements the system has gone through several permutations also : a form or variety resulting from such change technology available in various permutations
2a : the act or process of changing the lineal order of an ordered set of objects
b : an ordered arrangement of a set of objects
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Other words from permutation
-shə-nᵊl
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adjective
Examples of permutation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Wings brass, led by Holland prepared for every possible permutation of the first round. — Jamie Samuelsen, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings hope luck is on their side with 2018 NHL draft haul," 27 June 2018 Even Amazon’s vast cloud computers can’t calculate all the permutations, obstacles and political cross-currents such a legislative journey would witness. — Andrew Malcolm, San Francisco Chronicle, "Republicans abandon conservatism," 15 Feb. 2018 The space went through various permutations over the next century, even becoming a foundry and lock factory. — Patrick Z. Mcgavin, Daily Southtown, "Guide to outdoor dining in Chicago suburbs: Public Landing in Lockport," 8 July 2018 The band, which is still active, has gone through various permutations. — Richard Sandomir, New York Times, "Nokie Edwards, Whose Guitar Drove the Ventures, Is Dead at 82," 16 Mar. 2018 Within a few ticks of the clock left in Sochi, Germany’s campaign was essentially done, no matter what the mathematical permutations said. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Germany stuns Sweden on Toni Kroos' last-gasp goal to resuscitate World Cup hopes," 23 June 2018 That said, there won’t be a permutation of the genre that doesn’t carry The Notorious B.I.G.’s DNA. — Brian Josephs, Billboard, "The Notorious B.I.G.'s 25 Best Songs: Critic's Picks," 21 May 2018 There are no more group permutations to compute, no more worrying about goal-difference. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "It’s Time for Some Heavyweight Knockouts in the World Cup," 28 June 2018 While there were multiple permutations surrounding the final pair of Group F matches – Mexico-Sweden and Germany-South Korea, Mexico shouldn’t have had to worry about any complicated math at all. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Mexico choked and now its World Cup run looks doomed," 27 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'permutation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for permutation
permutation
noun
English Language Learners Definition of permutation
: one of the many different ways or forms in which something exists or can be arranged
See the full definition for permutation in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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