How to Use random in a Sentence

random

1 of 2 adjective
  • Pick a random word on the page.
  • We tasted the wines in random order and then rated each.
  • A random sample of doctors from around the country were selected for the study.
  • She collects random photographs that she finds in antique shops.
  • The computer program generates a list of random numbers.
  • The villains are plucked from a deck of cards at random.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 May 2021
  • Some of it was random, some of it the Jazz will need to fix.
    Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Apr. 2021
  • Part of the price of maintaining that format is the random draw.
    Gentry Estes, The Courier-Journal, 14 Mar. 2018
  • And that is determined based on a random set of traits.
    Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024
  • Dense brush crowds the small creeks, while few tiny conifers seem to pop up at random.
    oregonlive, 30 Aug. 2020
  • William Cail told reporters that the killing seemed to be random.
    Steve Helling, PEOPLE.com, 18 Aug. 2020
  • Winners will be drawn at random and must be present to win.
    Lainey Seyler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 July 2018
  • Who is most likely to get a random tattoo on a night out?
    Emily Becker, Women's Health, 24 May 2023
  • Prize winners will be drawn at random at the conclusion of the event.
    The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Play with friends or join a random game with other app users.
    Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, 24 Mar. 2020
  • Trump’s messy birdcage of a mind careers from one random thought to the next.
    Graydon Carter, The Hive, 14 Oct. 2017
  • The teams are assigned hunting areas at random each day of the event.
    Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2017
  • That part, on its own, is okay if your noise is random.
    Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021
  • Hence the random assortment of brand-new items in her bins.
    Jennifer Egan, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
  • In this case, the photon sets off one of the detectors at random.
    Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 17 Dec. 2018
  • This is the third time bus riders have faced random gunfire this year.
    Cameron Knight, Cincinnati.com, 20 Aug. 2019
  • But first, a random act of kindness sparks over a decade of giving.
    Julius Lasin, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2022
  • Pick a random shoe, poop in it, and then sit back and let the magic happen.
    NOLA.com, 14 Dec. 2020
  • One way that works for me is to recognize that the process by which stocks go up or down is random.
    Meir Statman, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2018
  • At the time Carter had been thinking a lot about random acts of kindness.
    Lisa Gutierrez, kansascity.com, 14 June 2017
  • Other times still, the cause isn't known, and the seizure seems to happen at random.
    Patti Greco, Health.com, 9 Nov. 2021
  • The idea for this study was not random: In the wild, parrots tend to live in large flocks.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2023
  • For about four days, the radio waves would arrive at random.
    Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 26 June 2020
  • This was not a random, all-of-a-sudden thought or idea.
    Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 5 May 2018
  • Fran’s favorite thing was to do random acts of kindness.
    Wilson Chapman, Variety, 11 Apr. 2022
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random

2 of 2 noun
  • The names of qualified students would be picked at random until a class is filled.
    Jeffrey Selingo, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2018
  • Even worse, the buggers appear at random from a draw bag as your exploration of the ship makes more of a ruckus.
    Dan Thurot, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2020
  • Making a passphrase random is only half of the solution, though.
    Henry Williams, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2018
  • Instead, the game has playlists, which serve up modes seemingly at random.
    Andrew Webster, The Verge, 29 Nov. 2018
  • Perhaps three judges would be chosen at random from a circuit court and the president would select one.
    Matt Ford, The New Republic, 4 June 2019
  • At the start of the game, a hat that may be either blue or red is chosen at random from a large number of hats and placed on each contestant’s head.
    Quanta Magazine, 23 Mar. 2016
  • The studies would have to be carried out online, with participants in each drawn at random from a common pool.
    Wired, 6 Dec. 2019
  • Unless your idea of sexy is simulating intimacy while a bunch of randoms watch you, in which case more power to you.
    Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 6 Apr. 2017
  • Chatfield sped away from police, running red lights, making turns at random.
    The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 21 Oct. 2017
  • Pick a number at random, Hogg suggested, and contact the company next to it.
    The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 29 Mar. 2018
  • 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, 9 Aug. 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, 12 Apr. 2017
  • GRBs appear seemingly at random in the Universe and rarely last less than a minute, making them hard to study.
    David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 22 Dec. 2017
  • Heck, people are reaching out to randoms in social media DM's.
    Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, 13 Mar. 2018
  • The conceit was this: You’d be paired with a conversational partner at random for a video chat via webcam.
    Arielle Pardes, Wired, 24 Dec. 2019
  • Then, create random dot designs on each nail using a dotting tool and shade Tribal Textiles.
    Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, 1 Oct. 2018
  • Miami police believe Reinosa chose the house at random, breaking in by shattering a window with a brick.
    David Ovalle, miamiherald, 2 Nov. 2017
  • Each institution would establish its own 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, 6 Apr. 2018
  • The concert’s first half was disjointed, shifting styles and attitudes seemingly at random.
    Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2017
  • Normally, axions just hit at random, so the swing is always moving but not actually swinging.
    Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 20 Dec. 2018
  • Those customers, who were chosen at random, were asked about recent travel experiences.
    Kate Silver, chicagotribune.com, 7 May 2018
  • Unfortunately there are plenty of reasons your eyes might suddenly spring a leak, even seemingly at random.
    Zahra Barnes, SELF, 10 Jan. 2018
  • 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, 2 Aug. 2017
  • Applicants must meet some education and job requirement standards, then are chosen at random from a computer lottery.
    Eugene Scott, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 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, 10 May 2017
  • Symptoms appear at random, sometimes months after treatment, and can initially seem innocuous.
    Matt Richtel, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2016
  • File this under random: Many people with a herniated disc don’t have any symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.
    Korin Miller, SELF, 11 Sep. 2018
  • Chosen seemingly at random, recipients were divided into colored teams of either green, orange, red or purple.
    Morena Duwe, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2019
  • At an event where the outcome, mass arrests, seemed only to confirm the protesters’ complaints, riot police dragged demonstrators from the crowd seemingly at random and arrested news photographers and reporters.
    Andrew E. Kramer, BostonGlobe.com, 12 June 2019
  • Injustice is made apparent as the authorities are shown demolishing shantytowns, seemingly at random.
    J. Hoberman, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'random.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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