Word
Definition
n. a large amount of something that has no clear shape. It can also mean the amount of physical matter in an object.
n. a large body of matter with no definite shape; in physics, the quantity of matter in a body regardless of its volume or any forces acting on it.
Examples
“The clouds formed a dark mass in the sky.”
“The doctor found a small mass in the patient's lung during the routine scan.”
“In Newtonian physics, mass is treated as a constant property of an object, whereas in relativistic contexts, it is understood to increase as the object approaches the speed of light.”
Examples
simple
“The clouds formed a dark mass in the sky.”
contextual
“The doctor found a small mass in the patient's lung during the routine scan.”
complex
“In Newtonian physics, mass is treated as a constant property of an object, whereas in relativistic contexts, it is understood to increase as the object approaches the speed of light.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “mass” in context.
Noun
01. mass production
“The invention of the assembly line made the mass production of cars possible and affordable.”
noun + noun
02. mass crossing
03. mass destruction
04. mass ejections
05. mass deaths
06. mass shooting
07. mass spectrometer
08. mass tourism
Usage
Countable when referring to a specific physical lump or growth; uncountable when referring to the general property of matter in physics.
Real-World Examples
“During that time, there will likely be mass lay-off events at other large companies in the industry.” “The team also said the South Korean study did not properly account for the mass of the galaxies hosting the supernovae.” Etymology
From Middle English messe, from Old English mæsse and Old French messe, both from Late Latin missa, from Latin mittō (“to send, dismiss”), compare French messe. In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum, ending with the reading of the Gospel. Then they were dismissed with the words: "Ite, missa est", the congregation is dismissed. After that the sacrifice proper began. At its close the same words were said to those who remained. So the word gave the name of Mass to the sacrifice in the Catholic Church. Compare Christmas, Lammas, missal. Doublet of missa.
Short forms.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Word family
NOUN
Related words
Idioms
01. mass destruction
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/mass
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0