social

adjective

so·cial | \ ˈsō-shəl

Definition of social

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : involving allies or confederates the Social War between the Athenians and their allies

2a : marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with friends or associates an active social life

b : sociable

c : of, relating to, or designed for sociability a social club

3 : of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society social institutions

4a : tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others Infants can become social beings only through interaction with others.— Gerald R. Leslie and Sheila K. Korman

b : living and breeding in more or less organized communities especially for the purposes of cooperation and mutual benefit : not solitary Of the canid family, the wolf is one of the most social species, since it is a pack hunter.— Michael W. Fox The evolutionary theory of kin selection requires that social animals recognize their relatives so that altruistic behavior can be displayed preferentially toward kin. — Science — see also social insect

c of a plant : tending to grow in groups or masses so as to form a pure stand

5a : of, relating to, or based on rank or status in a particular society a member of our social set

b : of, relating to, or characteristic of the upper classes

c : formal

6 : being such in social situations a social drinker

social

noun

Definition of social (Entry 2 of 2)

: sociable

Other Words from social Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about social

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Examples of social in a Sentence

Adjective

She has poor social skills. The vacation resort held a lot of social events. I joined the club to improve my social life. Her sister is much more social than she is. social institutions like marriage and family Health care is a major social issue. Child abuse has become a serious social problem. Martin Luther King, Jr., fought for social change. Most humans are social beings.

Noun

The club has socials every month. He's living on the social now.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Hong Kong was guaranteed the right to retain its own social, legal and political systems for 50 years under an agreement reached before its 1997 return to China from British rule. — Fox News, "Hong Kong to push ahead with extradition bill despite mass protests, fears that 'anyone can disappear'," 11 June 2019 Comprehensive data from Florida last year shows that three-quarters of abortions were elective, and another one-fifth were for social and economic reasons. — Rich Lowry, National Review, "CEOs for Abortion," 11 June 2019 Last fall, Ortiz hosted the 11th annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic, a four-day social and golf outing in the Dominican Republic that raised $1.1 million for the David Ortiz Children’s Fund. — Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, "David Ortiz’s ties to Santo Domingo run deep," 10 June 2019 New vehicle lanes are being added at the international bridge leading to Ojinaga, a city of 40,000 with many social and business links to Presidio. — John Maccormack, ExpressNews.com, "Border immigration surge reaches the Big Bend," 10 June 2019 First Look China transported activists out of Beijing and blocked people overseas from posting to a social media site Monday. — Christian Science Monitor, "World | Asia Pacific," 7 June 2019 The four video-recorded the incidents and planned to upload them to the Snapchat social media site, prosecutors said. — Clifford Ward, chicagotribune.com, "Four men charged in alleged police-impersonation stunt in DuPage County," 7 June 2019 McConaughey has been the voice of Reliant's commercials since 2012, according to the actor's social media sites. — L.m. Sixel, Houston Chronicle, "Champion Energy signs Astros' Alex Bregman to pitch power," 4 June 2019 According to CBS 19 News, a concerned citizen tipped authorities off about the threat, which had circulated in images on Reddit and other social media sites, The Washington Post reported. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Charlottesville Schools Shut Down for a Second Day Due to Threats of Racist Violence Against Students of Color," 22 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Neighborhoods can participate from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, by hosting block parties, parades, ice cream socials and more. — Michelle Mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville News Digest," 7 June 2019 Then be sure to take advantage of all the organized activities for kids, like flashlight candy hunts, water balloon fights, and root beer float socials. — Kristi Valentini, Redbook, "The No-Fly, All-Fun Vacation," 13 July 2017 The couple flaunts coordinating masks in a photo shared to both their socials, and Davidson is holding what appears to be a turtle, because why not? — Sam Tornow, Billboard, "Pete Davidson Has a Chill Pizza Date With Ariana Grande, Shows Off Blonde Hair Makeover: Pics," 2 July 2018 Each graphic naturally comes with sharing buttons so they can be saved or shared to various socials. — Dani Deahl, The Verge, "This app will show you your Apple Music listening habits for 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 Born and raised in North Carolina, Talley was introduced to fashion by his grandmother and aunts who would dress up for church socials. — Shammara Lawrence, Teen Vogue, "André Leon Talley Takes Center Stage in Documentary "The Gospel According To André"," 30 May 2018 Fans have taken to the socials to congratulate mama Cardi, and share their opinions about the baby's name. — Sofia Mele, Billboard, "Fans React to Cardi B and Offset Welcoming Daughter Kulture Kiari: See the Tweets," 11 July 2018 Tyga showed off on his socials Tuesday (July 10), posting a photo aboard a private jet in a brand-new black LeBron James Lakers jersey. — Sofia Mele, Billboard, "Tyga Shows Off His New LeBron James Lakers Jersey: '1st One Made'," 10 July 2018 Group activities include bonfires, live music, lobster bakes, movie nights, and ice cream socials. — Diane Daniel, BostonGlobe.com, "More ways to camp in style at Sandy Pines," 10 July 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near social

Statistics for social

Last Updated

14 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for social

The first known use of social was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for social

social

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of social

(Entry 1 of 2)

: relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other

: liking to be with and talk to people : happy to be with people

: of or relating to people or society in general

social

noun

English Language Learners Definition of social (Entry 2 of 2)

: an informal social event for members of a group

See the full definition for social in the English Language Learners Dictionary

social

adjective

so·cial | \ ˈsō-shəl

Kids Definition of social

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : enjoying other people : sociable a social person

2 : relating to interaction with other people especially for pleasure a busy social life

3 : of or relating to human beings as a group Marriage and family are social institutions.

4 : living naturally in groups or communities Bees are social insects.

5 : relating to or based on rank in a particular society social classes

social

noun

Kids Definition of social (Entry 2 of 2)

: a friendly gathering usually for a special reason

social

adjective

so·cial | \ ˈsō-shəl

Medical Definition of social

1a : tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one's kind

b : living and breeding in more or less organized communities social insects

2 : of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society immature social behavior