ubiquity

noun ubiq·ui·ty \ yü-ˈbi-kwə-tē \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Definition of ubiquity

: presence everywhere or in many places especially simultaneously : omnipresence

Recent Examples of ubiquity from the Web

There was never any shortage of exclamation points online, nor a shortage of curmudgeons to bemoan their ubiquity.

— julie beck, The Atlantic, "Exclamation Point Inflation," 27 June 2018
Yet that one song and its ubiquity does not represent the group’s legacy.

— jason lipshutz, Billboard, "Why Fifth Harmony Mattered: Evaluating the Legacy of the Biggest Girl Group of the '10s," 20 Mar. 2018
And yet its ubiquity may still be a useful sign, pointing at deep questions about fairness and equality, about our very different conceptions about what a person can, or should, expect from life.

— carina chocano, New York Times, "How Much Is Anyone ‘Entitled’ To, in the End?," 27 Feb. 2018
Her ubiquity suggests that she was highly respected.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "Captain’s Log," 18 Sep. 2017
Their ubiquity in Russia owes to high rates of insurance fraud and the need to have irrefutable evidence in a court of law.

— ben wojdyla, Popular Mechanics, "Should You Install a Dash Cam?," 22 Aug. 2013
Their ubiquity leads to more school shootings in a year than Western countries with gun control laws have had in their histories.

— joseph gerth, The Courier-Journal, "Backpacks don't kill. People do. So why ban them?," 11 June 2018
Other voices mock his ubiquity, his celebration shimmy and his habit of playing with his mouth guard.

— christopher dinsmore, baltimoresun.com, "Under Armour releases new ad celebrating Stephen Curry and his critics," 9 June 2018
Some cities have found that their ubiquity can be a disadvantage, leading to piles of bikes cluttering sidewalks.

— paul berger, WSJ, "Can a Bike-Share Program Spur More Improvements in Camden?," 2 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of ubiquity

Latin ubique everywhere, from ubi where + -que, enclitic generalizing particle; akin to Latin quis who and to Latin -que and — more at who, sesqui-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1572

in the meaning defined above

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