defined
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of defined
First recorded in 1720–30; define ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But “Bernstein’s Wall” returns us to an age when that was easier to imagine, and to a man who in many ways defined his era.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
The development marks “a notable shift from the largely seat-based model that has defined the franchise for the better part of a decade,” the analyst added.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Researchers defined "high" NLR based on the median value, meaning half of the participants had higher readings and half had lower ones.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026
Monica was humiliated, reviled, then merely defined by her missteps.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
And yet, of course, at the same time, I was being spat on and defined and described and limited, and could have been polished off with no effort whatever.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
