define.
To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.
Meaning & usage
To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.
the defining power of an optical instrument
To settle, decide (an argument etc.).
To express the essential nature of something.
I define myself as a techno-anarchist.
Your past mistakes do not define who you are.
To state the meaning of a word, phrase, sign, or symbol.
The textbook defined speed as velocity divided by time.
To describe, explain, or make definite and clear; used to request the listener or other person to elaborate or explain more clearly his or her intended meaning of a word or expression.
Person 1: Is she good at math? Person 2: Define "good." If you mean if she is faster than the average middle schooler at multiplication, then yes. If you mean if she is able to do multivariable calculus, then no.
To demark sharply the outlines or limits of an area or concept.
to define the legal boundaries of a property
To establish the referent of a term or notation.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English definen, from Old French definer, variant of definir, from Latin dēfīniō (“limit, settle, define”), from dē + fīniō (“set a limit, bound, end”).
A kind of macro in source code that replaces one text string with another wherever it occurs.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English definen, from Old French definer, variant of definir, from Latin dēfīniō (“limit, settle, define”), from dē + fīniō (“set a limit, bound, end”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.