1
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
2
as in describing
to mark the limits of
the river defines the town on the south
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defining
Crevoiserat is looking at the global handbag opportunity anew, defining the total addressable market not by how many people bought bags last year, but how many people could have.
—
Evan Clark, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Flexibility has also become a defining factor.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Matt Bell, chief advocacy officer for Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare, said defining what counts toward a hospital’s community benefit is vague.
—Megan Garnai, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2025
This led her to have a vision that would result in the defining principle of the Shakers.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
The Impact of 'Bluey' There's no doubt that Bluey is one of those shows that's defining our current era.
—De Elizabeth, Parents, 3 Sep. 2025
The company has positioned itself to revive theatrical Hindi-language cinema through genre-defining storytelling.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
And with projects like Beijing’s twin 725-foot CP Towers, as well as the 60-story Magnolias Ratchadamri and the Waldorf Astoria Tower in Bangkok, Jordan has played an important role in defining the skylines of global cities with smart, sustainable architectural solutions.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
Associated Press Democrats Grapple with Age Issue Former Democratic President Joe Biden's age was a defining issue of his presidency, with critics questioning whether the 81-year-old could sustain the demands of another term.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Evan Clark, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Flexibility has also become a defining factor.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Matt Bell, chief advocacy officer for Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare, said defining what counts toward a hospital’s community benefit is vague.
—Megan Garnai, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2025
This led her to have a vision that would result in the defining principle of the Shakers.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
The Impact of 'Bluey' There's no doubt that Bluey is one of those shows that's defining our current era.
—De Elizabeth, Parents, 3 Sep. 2025
The company has positioned itself to revive theatrical Hindi-language cinema through genre-defining storytelling.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
And with projects like Beijing’s twin 725-foot CP Towers, as well as the 60-story Magnolias Ratchadamri and the Waldorf Astoria Tower in Bangkok, Jordan has played an important role in defining the skylines of global cities with smart, sustainable architectural solutions.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
Associated Press Democrats Grapple with Age Issue Former Democratic President Joe Biden's age was a defining issue of his presidency, with critics questioning whether the 81-year-old could sustain the demands of another term.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defining
Verb
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Several times over those first few days, Akash Bobba, a 21-year-old coder who’d been the first of them to arrive, held his face close to Dudek’s scroll, tracing connections between the agency’s venerable IT systems with his index finger.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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In June, Othram identified the remains as Charles Howard Wallace after tracing two of his possible relatives to Tennessee and receiving DNA from one of them, officials said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Soliman fled to the United States in 2014 on a visitor visa and later filed a petition for asylum, describing how security forces over the years had locked him up on false charges and tortured him with electrical shocks.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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The aging brick walls, high arched wooden ceiling and original decorative elements of the Renaissance-era building provided quite a contrast with speakers who were describing the latest in present and future technologies.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And, since Congress expects workers and employers to be (cough) creative when characterizing wages as tips to avoid paying taxes on otherwise taxable income, Treasury is authorized to issue additional guidance to prevent abuse.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, Ka’iana and his family’s landing spot with Kamehameha’s base of power in Hawaii, as well as their foes, needed to be grounded in the land, while still doing the work of characterizing the different factions.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Despite specifying various antics with pills, a belt-as-noose, and a gun, Cloud has given him no real demons to explore.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
-
IEPs set out guidelines for the special education the school will provide the child, specifying the specific accommodations, type of instruction, and behavioral plans that will be used to support the student.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kennedy has also recently cleaned house in the CDC’s critical advisory committee, which makes vaccine policy recommendations to the CDC’s director, including those outlining who should get vaccinated, with what vaccines and at what age.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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Since the discovery of PFAS, town officials — who are elected volunteers — feel there hasn't been a lot of guidance from the state, other than outlining that something needs to be done to bring the PFAS levels down.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The state has yet to provide any contemporary evidence of doubt that this crosswalk — on the road bounding the southern edge of the Pulse property — was a fitting part of the memorial.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Neither do the police, nor the Ring cameras affixed to the facades on several neighborhood homes, though at least the latter capture footage of kids bounding through their front doors, arms splayed like wings, into early morning’s opaque embrace.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Farrell is known for often portraying the ultimate villain on screen, having starred as Lord Percival Graves in the 2016 hit Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the Penguin in 2022's The Batman.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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Katherine LaNasa won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for portraying the show’s ever-busy charge nurse, Dana Evans.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pressures are understandable, but Campbell has to do a better job of limiting pre-snap penalties.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Beware of when disengaging or limiting interactions is necessary for your own safety and well-being.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defining. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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