definition

American  

[def-uh-nish-uhn] / ˌdɛf əˈnɪʃ ən /

noun

• definitions
  plural

1. the act of defining, or of making something definite, distinct, or clear.

   We need a better definition of her responsibilities.

2. the formal statement of the meaning or significance of a word, phrase, idiom, etc., as found in dictionaries. An online dictionary resource, such as Dictionary.com, can give users direct, immediate access to the definitions of a term, allowing them to compare definitions from various dictionaries and stay up to date with an ever-expanding vocabulary.

3. the condition of being definite, distinct, or clearly outlined.

   His biceps have great muscle definition.

4. Optics. sharpness of the image formed by an optical system.

5. Radio and Television. the accuracy of sound or picture reproduction.

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definition British  

/ ˌdɛfɪˈnɪʃən /

noun

1. a formal and concise statement of the meaning of a word, phrase, etc

2. the act of defining a word, phrase, etc

3. specification of the essential properties of something, or of the criteria which uniquely identify it

4. the act of making clear or definite

5. the state or condition of being clearly defined or definite

6. a measure of the clarity of an optical, photographic, or television image as characterized by its sharpness and contrast

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predefinition
  noun
• redefinition
  noun
• self-definition
  noun
• subdefinition
  noun
• definitional
  adjective
• definitionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• definitions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of definition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English diffinicioun, from Old French diffinition, from Latin dēfīnītiōn- (stem of dēfīnītiō ), equivalent to dēfīnīt(us) ( see definite) + -iōn- noun suffix ( see -ion)

Explanation

A good definition explains concisely what something means. Dictionaries include definitions, even for the word definition! A definition precisely explains the fundamental state or meaning of something, often given formally as by lexicographers writing a dictionary or legislators writing laws. It can also refer to a sharply detailed image or concept — like how clear the picture is on a high-definition TV or how cut a Calvin Klein model's abs are.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

definition definitions

Both jobs entailed tedious rewrite work that would have fit into Mr. Posner’s capacious definition of plagiarism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The “Mormon Wives,” a group of women associated with the social media clique known as #MomTok, never neatly fit the internet’s definition of tradwives, either.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

The reality is by having a higher age rating than Spider-Man, it is by definition reducing the amount of people who can buy the game.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

“The definition of AI-native is somebody who spends two-thirds of their raised money on compute,” Huang says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Although,” said Irian, “their definition of treasure varies. There’s people who’ve hunted the carbuncles for months and dug up a rat’s tail and three fish heads.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

A message to Anthropic on its accounting definitions wasn’t returned.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Some definitions change according to location and season.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The definitions appear below the frames, reminding us that the men were not just shot with a firearm but also by a camera, shot being shot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Rights group Amnesty International has said the case "relies on vague, overly broad and arbitrary definitions of 'subversion'".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

First he looked up the definitions in the brand-new red dictionary that his mom had bought—because Mrs. Granger told her to.

From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements

Related Words

• answer
• explanation
• interpretation
• rationale
• solution
• translation