random

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.