1
a
: physical magnitude, extent, or bulk : relative or proportionate dimensions
b
: relative aggregate amount or number
c
: considerable proportions : bigness
2
: one of a series of graduated measures especially of manufactured articles (as of clothing) conventionally identified by numbers or letters
a size seven hat
3
: character, quality, or status of a person or thing especially with reference to importance, relative merit, or correspondence to needs
Try this idea on for size.
4
: actual state of affairs
That's about the size of it.
5
dialectal British
: assize sense 2a
—usually used in plural
6
obsolete
: a fixed portion of food or drink
sized; sizing
1
: to make a particular size : bring to proper or suitable size
2
: to arrange, grade, or classify according to size or bulk
: to equal in size or other particular characteristic : compare
—usually used with up and often with to or with
: any of various glutinous materials (such as preparations of glue, flour, varnish, or resins) used for filling the pores in surfaces (as of paper, textiles, leather, or plaster) or for applying color or metal leaf (as to book edges or covers)
sized; sizing
: to cover, stiffen, or glaze with or as if with size
Examples of size in a Sentence
Noun (1)
we worried that the immense size of the sofa would make getting it through the doorway impossible
Noun (2)
coated the fabric with size before applying it to the wall
Recent Examples on the Web
Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2026
To back off from that charge, district officials proposed raising average class sizes in kindergarten through fourth grade from 24-to-1 to 28-to-1, according to the district.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Across the central foyer sits the formal dining room, sized for a table of 12 — an old-school nod to dinner parties that start with cocktails and end with cable-car bells outside.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
The brand with the most size inclusivity was Feng Chen Wang, who showed 13.5% of its looks on mid-size models.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for size
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Noun
Playoff series are the epitome of small sample sizes, which is why making sport-changing decisions based on those outcomes makes little sense.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2026
To back off from that charge, district officials proposed raising average class sizes in kindergarten through fourth grade from 24-to-1 to 28-to-1, according to the district.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Standard size recliners generally are sized between 30 and 37 inches, although there are some oversized recliner slipcovers that can reach 40 inches in width.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Across the central foyer sits the formal dining room, sized for a table of 12 — an old-school nod to dinner parties that start with cocktails and end with cable-car bells outside.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Live video projections supplied shifting, zooming, super-size views of soloist Gil Shaham, music director Robert Spano and random sections of the orchestra.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
The brand with the most size inclusivity was Feng Chen Wang, who showed 13.5% of its looks on mid-size models.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for size
Cite this Entry
“Size.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/size. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
size
1 of 5 noun1
: physical extent or bulk
2
a
: the measurements of a thing
b
: relative amount or number
3
: one of a series of measures especially of manufactured articles (as of clothing) usually identified by numbers or letters
size
2 of 5 verb
sized; sizing
1
: to make a particular size
2
: to arrange, grade, or classify according to size
3
: to form a judgment of
—used with up
sizing up the candidates
size
3 of 5 adjective
ˈsīz 
ˌsīz
: sized sense 1
medium-size
size
4 of 5 noun
: a gluey material (as a preparation of glue, flour, or varnish) used for filling the pores in a surface (as of plaster), as a stiffener (as of fabric), or as an adhesive
size
5 of 5 verb
sized; sizing
: to apply size to
Etymology
Noun
Middle English sise "a law, a law controlling weights and measures used in the marketplace, a fixed portion of food and drink," from early French sise (same meaning), from earlier assise "a lawmaking session, legal action," from asseoir "to seat," derived from Latin assidere "to sit beside, assist (a judge)," from ad- "toward, near" and sedēre "to sit"
Noun
Middle English sise "something gluey used as a filler, stiffener, or adhesive"
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