1
as in to trace
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
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2
3
as in to characterize
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to specify
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of define
In truth, plenty of New Yorkers are both privileged and come from elsewhere, but still fall into the rhythm and the patois that has long defined the city.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
3 July 2026
The show frames the American project as defined by a longstanding tension between impulses to maintain the status quo and demands for change.
—
Cat Dawson,
ARTnews.com,
3 July 2026
That latter point, about the growing unaffordability of the things Allianz insures, has become a defining issue for his strategy.
—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
3 July 2026
He was raised in a town just outside Bristol, England, taught that being the best version of yourself is defined by other people’s lenses.
—
Sophie Lindberg,
Kansas City Star,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for define
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
3 July 2026
The show frames the American project as defined by a longstanding tension between impulses to maintain the status quo and demands for change.
—
Cat Dawson,
ARTnews.com,
3 July 2026
That latter point, about the growing unaffordability of the things Allianz insures, has become a defining issue for his strategy.
—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
3 July 2026
He was raised in a town just outside Bristol, England, taught that being the best version of yourself is defined by other people’s lenses.
—
Sophie Lindberg,
Kansas City Star,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for define
Recent Examples of Synonyms for define
Verb
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Origins of the phrase can be traced back to a May interview with Efraín Juárez, who led Pumas UNAM to the Liga MX Clausura final.
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Mizuho Americas analyst Dan Dolev told the Journal that the majority of these cuts probably trace to a post-pandemic hiring correction rather than AI itself.
Verb
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Tribes describe the last of three waves of European incursions, nearly 85 years after Serra hung the first Mission bell in San Diego in 1769, as the most brutal.
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Rodríguez described scenes of children hospitalized with amputations and survivors grieving multiple family deaths.
Verb
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To characterize the new mode, Kyle Uckert, SHERLOC’s deputy principal investigator at NASA’s JPL, and his colleagues collected spectra from spare flight optics in their own lab.
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The standoff forces the platform to weigh compliance against a potentially expanding pattern of government control over social media — a tension that has also characterized India’s years-long friction with X over content-takedown orders.
Verb
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Ablakwa did not specify the specific types of artifacts, nor where they are currently being held.
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There is no difference specified under the law.
Verb
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The wide-ranging ordinance outlined how far away data centers can be built from nearby communities, how much noise the centers can emit and what reports property owners must submit to the city.
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During a recent industry webcast alongside leaders from Cisco, Intel, and Nutanix, Debo Dutta, Chief AI Officer at Nutanix, outlined a strategic blueprint to help executives navigate this transition.
Verb
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There isn't time for proponents to get a new measure on this year's ballot and state law requires any measures brought in odd years be limited to questions related to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).
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Plaintiffs claimed that Disney’s carriage agreements required streaming platforms to include ESPN in base channel packages, limiting the ability of competitors to offer cheaper bundles.
Verb
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Matty Matheson, who portrays Neil Fak and serves as the show’s culinary consultant, initially believed taking props was off limits after receiving an email asking to refrain from removing anything from the show.
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Winkler portrayed his iconic character for all 11 seasons of the ABC sitcom, which originally aired from 1974 to 1984.
Verb
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Short dramas are about big emotions and dramatic reversals; the heroes and villains are generally clearly delineated.
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By 1962, Jaray was making hard-edge abstract paintings that conjured architectural structures or details; delineated with masking tape and executed without visible brush strokes, they were carefully plotted out through multiple preliminary drawings, and in later years, on a computer.
Cite this Entry
“Define.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/define. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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