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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defining
Millions looked on as Britain's future king and queen wed on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London, defining a new era for the monarchy.
—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The soft, sunny color is the perfect hue to transition into the warmer months, and Kristi Patterson, founder and principal designer at Grace Hill Design, says yellow is emerging as the defining color of the season.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
But the intention is to create a new generation of horror films that draw from the unsettling power, psychological intensity, and cinematic ambition that made J-horror a defining force in global genre filmmaking.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026
The fraud scandal, which included the Feeding Our Future scheme that prosecutors called the largest pandemic fraud operation in the country, has become one of the defining narratives of Walz's second term.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
Motown Records redirected American pop away from its white-centric rock ’n’ roll course, and Smokey Robinson was central to that era-defining mission.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Again, there is no official criterion defining a low-contact relationship, so don’t get hung up on labels.
—Ashley Oerman, SELF, 22 Apr. 2026
Supreme Indigo is the mill’s defining color story for the season.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 22 Apr. 2026
Across town at MoCA is another of the exhibition’s defining works, Abigail DeVille’s conceptually taut assemblage Deo Vindice (Orion’s Cabinet), 2025.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The soft, sunny color is the perfect hue to transition into the warmer months, and Kristi Patterson, founder and principal designer at Grace Hill Design, says yellow is emerging as the defining color of the season.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
But the intention is to create a new generation of horror films that draw from the unsettling power, psychological intensity, and cinematic ambition that made J-horror a defining force in global genre filmmaking.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026
The fraud scandal, which included the Feeding Our Future scheme that prosecutors called the largest pandemic fraud operation in the country, has become one of the defining narratives of Walz's second term.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
Motown Records redirected American pop away from its white-centric rock ’n’ roll course, and Smokey Robinson was central to that era-defining mission.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Again, there is no official criterion defining a low-contact relationship, so don’t get hung up on labels.
—Ashley Oerman, SELF, 22 Apr. 2026
Supreme Indigo is the mill’s defining color story for the season.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 22 Apr. 2026
Across town at MoCA is another of the exhibition’s defining works, Abigail DeVille’s conceptually taut assemblage Deo Vindice (Orion’s Cabinet), 2025.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defining
Verb
-
The exhibition spans more than 2,000 years of boxing imagery, tracing a thread of human struggle that Louis Marchesano, the museum's deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, said helps explain Rocky's enduring pull.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The show’s scope is epic, beginning with Adams’ legal career in prerevolutionary Boston and tracing his life and American history until his retirement and death in 1826.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When describing his overall plan for ELL and emergent bilingual learning after staff cuts, Licata said those resources are not being spent in the right directions for students.—
Samuel O’Neal
Updated April 29,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
What the note was describing lay outside the perimeter.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But those infractions do not justify characterizing an entire category of services that helps tens of millions of Americans remain in their homes as rife with fraud and in need of dramatic changes.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
23 Apr. 2026
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The author portrays Huntington Beach’s conservative leadership as opportunistic political actors seeking to weaponize local grievances for statewide power, characterizing their efforts to expand influence as built on cultural controversies rather than substantive governance achievements.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The employees asked Döpfner to take a series of measures in response, including adding a disclaimer to all op-eds specifying that the author’s views do not represent those of Politico or staff.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Warsh’s filings list holdings in two funds that are valued at over $50 million, without specifying an upper limit.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In outlining their case, authorities have not said how Talley ended up possessing the gun.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The motive remains unclear, though state media reported the man left documents behind at the courthouse outlining his grievances.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even after Bo Bichette’s two-out, bases-clearing double gave New York the lead, Brazobán came bounding out of the dugout.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
-
An antelope on a ridge teasingly stares before bounding off up the rocky hill.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ann Jillian went from a Disney child star to a '80s sitcom favorite, even portraying her own battle with cancer on screen.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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Yes, Jaafar is actually singing while portraying Michael, with the late singer's vocals also being blended into some of the tracks.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Not content with limiting real-world testing, F1 now also strictly limits the number of hours a team can use a wind tunnel—which can be only 60 percent scale—as well as the number of hours of CFD simulations.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
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The government has also proposed limiting the number of guns someone can own to as few as four and implementing periodic reviews of existing gun licenses.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defining. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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