random

play

noun ran·dom \ ˈran-dəm \

Definition of random

:a haphazard course

— at random

:without definite aim, direction, rule, or method

subjects chosen at random

See random defined for kids

Recent Examples of random from the Web

The 110 attendees were selected at random from nearly 2,000 entries.

— bryan lowry and lindsay wise, kansascity, "Yoder faces questions on Trump, health care vote at Olathe town hall," 22 Aug. 2017
The percentage of the deficit should also require that a matching percentage of members, drawn at random should be discharged with no further pay.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Politics then and now," 9 Aug. 2017
The concert’s first half was disjointed, shifting styles and attitudes seemingly at random.

— jon caramanica, New York Times, "Review: Lady Gaga, the Flashy Provocateur, Battles Lady Gaga, the Raw Voice," 6 Aug. 2017
Each institution would establish their own minimum criteria for admissions and then all the names of qualified students would be put into a hat and picked at random until the class is filled.

— jeffrey j. selingo, Washington Post, "Trump administration is taking aim at affirmative action in college admissions. Why it won’t fix what’s broken.," 2 Aug. 2017
IATA also said foreign airports that fail to install explosive-trace detection scanners along with procedures to use them to scan carry-on bags at random could face a ban on carrying laptops into the cabin or a suspension of flights to the U.S.

— Fox News, "US pushes foreign airports to install explosives scanners within three weeks," 3 July 2017
Police and prosecutors believe that Aaron Saucedo, 23, is the person who terrorized predominantly Latino neighborhoods, seemingly at random, during the first half of 2016.

— michael kiefer, azcentral, "Jodi Arias prosecutor Juan Martinez could try 'Serial Street Shooter' case," 16 May 2017
The five balls are chosen at random from a set of 75 numbers, and the one Mega Ball is drawn from a set of 15.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "$1 million Mega Millions ticket sold at Louisville Kroger store," 10 May 2017
The process varies from airline to airline, but some passengers reported a crew member said a computer chose at random.

— ryan craggs, Condé Nast Traveler, "United's 'Reaccommodating' Crisis Likely Won't Change Much of Anything," 12 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of random

Middle English, succession, surge, from Anglo-French randun, from Old French randir to run, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rinnan to run — more at run

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1561

See Words from the same year

random

adjective

Definition of random

1 a :lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern

b :made, done, or chosen at random

read random passages from the book

2 a :relating to, having, or being elements or events with definite probability of occurrence

random processes

b :being or relating to a set or to an element of a set each of whose elements has equal probability of occurrence

a random sample

; also :characterized by procedures designed to obtain such sets or elements

random sampling

—

randomly

adverb

—

randomness

noun

See random defined for English-language learners

Examples of random in a Sentence

a random sequence of letters
A random sample of doctors from around the country were selected for the study.
We tasted the wines in random order and then rated each.
a random collection of buttons
She collects random photographs that she finds in antique shops.
Pick a random word on the page.
The computer program generates a list of random numbers.

Recent Examples of random from the Web

Fun random fact: Chris Wilcox, who has a 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, is joining the Ardrey Kell High School boys basketball team this school year as an assistant coach.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "Woody & Wilcox: ‘Juvenile and moronic’? They claim it," 23 Aug. 2017
A Philadelphia man wanted for allegedly shooting and killing 29-year-old John Le in a random attack in Haverford Township last month was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Georgia, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

— chris palmer, Philly.com, "Suspect in Haverford Twp. killing arrested in Ga.," 22 Aug. 2017
The set-up is the random, incomprehensible plan to go capture a wight to bring to Cersei as proof of the Army of the Dead's existence.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Game of Thrones Is Now Pure Fan Fiction," 21 Aug. 2017
Along with super random periods, other signs of PCOS are excess facial hair growth and acne.

— beth anne macaluso, Redbook, "What Your Period Says About Your Health As You Get Older," 9 Aug. 2017
That’s Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, of course, and remarkably the Twitch chat’s random commands managed to catapult them to a third-place showing at one point, and succeeded in netting two kills.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Twitch plays Battlegrounds, Overwatch's summer games return," 4 Aug. 2017
Each Miss Farm Bureau contestant answers a random question.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Belle Dallam follows in mother's, older sister's, footsteps as Miss Harford Farm Bureau 2017," 25 July 2017
At first glance, the portion of Devarim is a random recapitulation of events the Jews experienced in the desert.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: The nature and structure of the book of Devarim," 24 July 2017
Researchers assigned each of the women to one of these groups at random and studied the effects for 6 months.

— dr. manny alvarez, Fox News, "5 ways to relieve period cramps naturally," 10 July 2017

First Known Use of random

1619

random Synonyms

Synonyms

aimless, arbitrary, catch-as-catch-can, desultory, erratic, haphazard, helter-skelter, hit-or-miss, scattered, slapdash, stray

Antonyms

methodical (also methodic), nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized

Near Antonyms

established, fixed, regular, set, stable, steady; constant, continuous, even; arranged, managed, orchestrated, ordered, planned; aware, conscious, deliberate, purposeful, thoughtful, willful (or wilful)

Synonym Discussion of random

random, haphazard, casual mean determined by accident rather than design. random stresses lack of definite aim, fixed goal, or regular procedure.

- a random selection of books

haphazard applies to what is done without regard for regularity or fitness or ultimate consequence.

- a haphazard collection of rocks

casual suggests working or acting without deliberation, intention, or purpose.

- a casual collector

random

adverb

Definition of random

:in a random manner

First Known Use of random

1618

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

RANDOM Defined for English Language Learners

random

adjective

Definition of random for English Language Learners

: chosen, done, etc., without a particular plan or pattern

RANDOM Defined for Kids

random

play

adjective ran·dom \ ˈran-dəm \

Definition of random for Students

:lacking a clear plan, purpose, or pattern

I read a random selection of poems.

—

randomly

adverb

—

randomness

noun

Learn More about random

See words that rhyme with random Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for random Spanish Central: Translation of random Nglish: Translation of random for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of random for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up random? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

random

Definition of random

Explore Merriam-Webster

Recent Examples of random from the Web

Origin and Etymology of random

random

Definition of random

randomly

randomness

Examples of random in a Sentence

Recent Examples of random from the Web

First Known Use of random

random Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of random

random

Definition of random

First Known Use of random

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

RANDOM Defined for English Language Learners

random

Definition of random for English Language Learners

RANDOM Defined for Kids

random

Definition of random for Students

randomly

randomness

Learn More about random

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066