English · Word Candidate

define

/dɪˈfaɪn/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: defines · defining

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Xác định chính xác, phân biệt rõ ràng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

the defining power of an optical instrument

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To express the essential nature of something.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Biểu thị bản chất thiết yếu của một thứ gì đó

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

I define myself as a techno-anarchist.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A kind of macro in source code that replaces one text string with another wherever it occurs.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một loại macro trong mã nguồn thay thế một chuỗi văn bản bằng một chuỗi khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

From the computer programming perspective, Java looks like C and C++ while discarding the overwhelming complexities of those languages, such as typedefs, defines, preprocessor, unions, pointers, and multiple inheritance.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “define” mean?

To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.

Is “define” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.