Thesaurus results for DEFINING

defining

verb

present participle of define

as in tracing

to draw or make apparent the outline of the glass skyscraper's sleek silhouette was strikingly defined by the setting sun to its west

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in describing

to mark the limits of the river defines the town on the south

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as in characterizing

to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group a woman who is defined by her unswerving loyalty to her friends

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as in specifying

to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly let me define the task so that there is no doubt in your minds about what needs to be done

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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 defining According to Mike, that freedom became one of the collection’s defining characteristics. —

Laura Jackson, Vogue, 3 June 2026 An iconic style from the brand hailing from the fall 2016 runway, the Kiki has amassed a legion of celebrity fans who have embraced the silhouette’s defining platform, towering block heel and unique buckle design leaving oval cut outs. —

Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 3 June 2026 But now physicists are learning that the two defining features of quantum mechanics, entanglement and magic, correspond to the two defining features of space, its shape and its flexibility. —

Quanta Magazine, 3 June 2026 Whatever happens here, Skubal has the potential to be a tenure-defining situation for Harris. —

Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 3 June 2026 For Fröbe-Kapteyn, the fantasy led her to a fiercely complacent apoliticism in the face of the defining conflict of the postmodern era. —

Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026 If Detroit, the city most ravaged by deindustrialization, can remake its defining industry and rebuild its downtown around a single, audacious bet on the future, so can America. —

Time, 2 June 2026 This could look like defining a relationship or committing to a creative venture. —

Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026 The company also became one of the defining ownership assets in modern venture history. —

Truebridge Capital, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defining

Verb

Lincoln's life and death had a lasting impact on the future president, historians Douglas Brinkley and Harold Holzer wrote in an exclusive piece for USA TODAY, tracing how a portrait of Lincoln later became Roosevelt's moral compass.

— Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Sound of Falling, Mascha Schilinski’s experimental period drama tracing the lives of four young women from four different epochs in rural East Germany, swept the German Film Awards, the Lolas, winning 10 Lolas including best film and best director for Schilinski.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 May 2026