dimension
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a measurement of something in one direction, such as its height, width, or length.
n.a measure of spatial extent in a particular direction, typically height, width, or depth.
Simple“We need to know the exact dimensions of the room before we buy a new sofa.”
In context“The architect specified the precise dimensions of the structural beams to ensure the roof could support the weight of the winter snow.”
UsageOften used in the plural when referring to the overall size of an object.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.a particular part or feature of a situation.
n.a distinct component or aspect of a situation, problem, or concept.
Simple“The new law adds a political dimension to the environmental debate.”
In context“The discovery of the ancient manuscript adds an entirely new dimension to our understanding of early trade routes in the region.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.the number of coordinates needed to find a point in space, like 3D.
n.the number of independent coordinates required to uniquely specify a point within a mathematical space.
Simple“In physics, time is often described as the fourth dimension.”
In context“The algorithm operates in a high-dimensional space, processing hundreds of variables simultaneously to predict market fluctuations.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.one of the ranges used to organize data in a large table or array.
n.any of the independent ranges of indices in a multidimensional array or data structure.
Simple“The programmer defined a three-dimensional array to store the weather data.”
In context“When the dataset grew too large, the engineers had to reduce the number of dimensions to improve the processing speed of the neural network.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a different world or plane of existence, often in science fiction stories.
n.a hypothetical or fictional plane of existence or parallel universe.
Simple“In the movie, the hero travels to another dimension to save his family.”
In context“The science fiction novel explores the terrifying possibility of creatures crossing over from a parallel dimension into our own.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to give something a specific size or to mark its measurements.
v.to specify the size of a data structure or to shape a physical object to specific measurements.
Simple“The engineer had to dimension the parts carefully so they would fit together.”
In context“The software allows users to dimension the architectural drawing automatically, ensuring all labels match the scale of the model.”
Usage add dimension · important dimension · measure dimension
“The university publicised the symbolic dimensions of his appointment as a young, black, neurodivergent man .”
“It tracks outcomes across four cohorts of incoming first-year international students and shows consistent improvement across nearly every measured dimension.”
From Latin dīmēnsiō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.