definition
- 01 B1 Intermediate
an explanation of what a word or phrase means, like what you find in a dictionary.
a formal statement of the meaning of a word, phrase, or symbol. Countable in the sense of a specific entry; uncountable when referring to the general practice.
Simple“If you do not know the word, you can look up the definition in your dictionary.”
In context“The legal team spent hours debating the precise definition of 'negligence' to ensure the contract was airtight.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
how clear and sharp an image or object looks.
the degree of distinctness or clarity in an image, outline, or sound. Often used in technical contexts regarding screens or photography.
Simple“The new television has excellent definition, so the picture looks very real.”
In context“The high-definition cameras captured the mountain range with such clarity that individual trees were visible from miles away.”
SynonymsAntonymsblurrinessfuzziness - 03 C1 Advanced
a statement that gives a specific value or meaning to a name or function in code.
a declaration that assigns a value, body, or specific mathematical property to a term or variable.
Simple“The program failed because there was an error in the function definition.”
In context“In this programming language, the definition of a constant must occur before it is referenced in the main execution block.”
Synonyms
Usage broad definition · definition include · following definition
From Middle English diffinicioun, from Middle French definition, from Latin dēfīnītiō, from dēfīniō. Equivalent to define + -ition.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.