entity

noun

en·​ti·​ty ˈen-tə-tē 

ˈe-nə-

plural entities

1

a

: being, existence

especially : independent, separate, or self-contained existence

b

: the existence of a thing as contrasted with its attributes

2

: something that has separate and distinct existence and objective or conceptual reality

3

: an organization (such as a business or governmental unit) that has an identity separate from those of its members

Synonyms

• being
• commodity
• existent
• individual
• individuality
• integer
• object
• reality
• something
• substance
• thing

Examples of entity in a Sentence

One division of the company was broken off as a separate entity.

the question of whether extrasensory perception will ever be a scientifically recognized entity

Recent Examples on the Web

The Department he's nominated to run is one of the biggest, most complex entities in the U.S. - an institution that, as our next guest notes, has its own judicial code, its own legal system, its health care system. —Connor Donevan, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024

No government entity has weighed in on the Guidepost investigation or affirmed any of its findings; Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel offered three times to review the school shooting, the Detroit Free Press reported, but the Oxford School Board rejected her offers. —Christina Coulter, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024

One of the biggest TCJA changes was slashing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, creating a 20% deduction for pass-through business entities. —Tribune News Service, Twin Cities, 15 Nov. 2024

The proposition would also put into law a Newsom policy requiring all state agencies to negotiate for lower drug prices as a single entity. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin entitas, from Latin ent-, ens existing thing, from coined present participle of esse to be — more at is

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing entity

• flow-through entity
• pass-through entity

Kids Definition

entity

noun

en·​ti·​ty ˈent-ət-ē 

plural entities

: something existing or thought of as existing as a separate and independent thing

Medical Definition

entity

noun

en·​ti·​ty ˈen(t)-ət-ē 

plural entities

: something (as a disease or condition) that has separate and distinct existence and objective or conceptual reality

whether the common cold is an entity has been debated

—Year Book of Medicine

Legal Definition

entity

noun

en·​ti·​ty ˈen-ti-tē 

plural entities

: an organization (as a business or governmental unit) that has a legal identity which is separate from those of its members see also alter ego, instrumentality, juridical person, legal person, pierce