defines

present tense third-person singular of define

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defines If software becomes easier to generate, the value shifts away from the software artifact itself and toward the specification that defines what the software is supposed to accomplish. Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 What defines her is not only extraordinary talent, but a lifetime of conscious choices – to lead with kindness, to contribute meaningfully, and to give back in ways that have endured, all with inimitable style and great humor. Chris Willman, Variety, 7 July 2026 United defines a window seat to mean a location relative to the aisle and not a literal seat next to a window, according to the court filing. Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 7 July 2026 The atmosphere transitions seamlessly into the drinks, which are crafted with the same attention to detail that defines Martinez’s pastry work. Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026 As newer players gain traction, speed alone no longer defines the customer experience. Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 2 July 2026 The cruise line’s Marella Explorer 2 also offers cruises exclusively for grown-ups, which the line defines as those 17 and older. Nathan Diller, USA Today, 30 June 2026 The company’s bet is that the same speed that defines its team can be brought to the systems companies rely on every day. Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 Every sector that defines American competitiveness, from manufacturing and defense to healthcare and logistics, runs on power. Vinod Khosla, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defines
Verb
  • The mystery of why some people who carry a deadly gene variant might not have symptoms traces back a century, to when biologists were trying to understand how traits were passed from one generation to the next.
    Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • The term traces back to a 2022 tweet from user @robyns_quill and an early Urban Dictionary entry before Vice’s May 30 explainer pushed it into the mainstream this year.
    Allison Palmer July 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
Verb
  • The Anti-Defamation League describes Patriot Front as a white supremacist group.
    Kyla Guilfoil, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • Staying home might not readily provide the intoxicating beauty Emerson describes.
    Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • Resilience characterizes many young basketball players at SCC Dixon said.
    Nicole Gregory, Oc Register, 25 June 2026
  • Under that view, a taxpayer who actively participates in management should not receive the benefit simply because state law characterizes the interest as a limited partnership interest.
    Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • Neither government specifies how that logging should work across organizational boundaries, because the infrastructure to do so does not yet exist.
    Teodor Calin, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • They are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which specifies where and how to use them.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Rather, the department outlines a checklist developers must complete to get a stamp of recommendation from city staffers before going before the Commission.
    Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 July 2026
  • The law outlines an appeals process and allows for people on the registry to apply for expungement after three years.
    Matthew Kelly July 1, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Over a century later, the Himalayan blackberry has spread far beyond the modest backyard bounds its importers envisioned, opting instead to take over indiscriminately and displace the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in the process.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2026
  • Oprah Winfrey bounds into view in a white dress.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • His pioneering work on the colonial bar portrays a profession living through extraordinary uncertainty.
    Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • The summer’s political bestseller portrays him as a figure whose transformative potential has been utterly derailed by hubris.
    Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • His fluid camera, observational without being intrusive, expertly delineates the safe space of Layla’s courtyard, shifting registers as things get darker until near the end, when jumbled night reinforces the tense uncertainty.
    Jay Weissberg, Variety, 17 May 2026
  • Wood, specifically Canaletto walnut, delineates many of these elements and unifies the apartment from entrance to end.
    Ludovica Stevan, Architectural Digest, 22 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Defines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defines. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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