average

1 of 3

noun

av·​er·​age ˈa-v(ə-)rij 

1

a

: a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values

b

: mean sense 1b

2

a

: an estimation of or approximation to an arithmetic mean

b

: a level (as of intelligence) typical of a group, class, or series

above the average

3

: a ratio expressing the average performance especially of an athletic team or an athlete computed according to the number of opportunities for successful performance

a batting average

average

2 of 3

adjective

1

: equaling an arithmetic mean

2

a

: being about midway between extremes

a man of average height

b

: not out of the ordinary : common

on an average day

the average person

averagely adverb

averageness noun

average

3 of 3

verb

averaged; averaging

intransitive verb

1

a

: to be or come to an average

The gain averaged out to 20 percent.

b

: to have a medial value of

colors that average to gray

2

: to buy on a falling market or sell on a rising market additional shares or commodities so as to obtain a more favorable average price

—usually used with down or up

transitive verb

1

: to do, get, or have on the average or as an average sum or quantity

averages 12 hours of work a day

2

: to find the arithmetic mean of (a series of unequal quantities)

3

a

: to bring toward the average

b

: to divide among a number according to a size, number, or amount that is directly related to or appropriate for something

average a loss

Phrases

on average or on the average

: taking the typical example of the group under consideration

Prices have increased on average by five percent. [=the average increase has been five percent]

Did you know?

The word average came into English from Middle French avarie, a derivative of an Arabic word meaning “damaged merchandise.” Avarie originally meant damage sustained by a ship or its cargo, but came to mean the expenses of such damage. When the English borrowed the word, they altered it to conform to the pattern of words ending in -age. When a ship or its cargo was damaged at sea, the owners or insurers shared the expense, or average. An average-adjuster determined a division of costs among them. An average then became any equal distribution or division, like the determination of an arithmetic mean. Soon the arithmetic mean itself was called an average. Now the word may be applied to any mean or middle value or level.

Synonyms

Noun

• norm
• normal
• par
• standard

Adjective

• intermediate
• mean
• median
• medium
• middle
• middling
• midsize
• midsized
• moderate
• modest

Choose the Right Synonym for average

average, mean, median, norm mean something that represents a middle point.

average is the quotient obtained by dividing the sum total of a set of figures by the number of figures.

scored an average of 85 on tests

mean may be the simple average or it may represent value midway between two extremes.

a high of 70° and a low of 50° give a mean of 60°

median applies to the value that represents the point at which there are as many instances above as there are below.

average of a group of persons earning 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10 dollars an hour is 6 dollars, whereas the median is 5 dollars

norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.

scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

Examples of average in a Sentence

Noun

The average of 16, 8, and 6 is 10.

Take all these temperatures and find their average.

An average of 2,000 people attended the show each night.

Prices have increased on average about eight percent.

On average, women live longer than men.

His work has been above the average.

Adjective

Take all these temperatures and find their average temperature.

The investment had a higher average return.

The average age of the company's employees is 36.

The average woman lives longer than the average man.

Do you know what the average person earns?

the average American family buyer

Sales were about average for the industry on the whole.

Average grades are not good enough to get you into graduate school.

She was an average student.

She thought the performance was just average.

Verb

The teacher averaged the students' grades.

What figure do you get when you average the amount of rainfall for the last three months?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In races with few polls, the polling average is reverted back toward the imputed average there based on polls in other states. —G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2024

In The Seven Swing States? Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nevada, while Trump is up in Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona, according to FiveThirtyEight’s swing state polling averages. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Their offensive average exit speed of 89.6 mph tied for MLB’s best - and their 87.3 mph average exit speed allowed stood alone at #1. —Tony Blengino, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

For example, only 9% of a retailer’s online assortment on average is available in stores, based on a sample set of 30 retailers, according to the report. —Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2024

Verb

Over the past 10 years, Yale’s endowment has averaged a 9.5% return—boosted by a whopping 40.2% return in fiscal 2021. —Emma Whitford, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

In 2024, Harris’s share of mentions has averaged 43% across the current campaign vs. 57% for Trump. —Alena Botros, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb

from earlier average proportionally distributed charge for damage at sea, modification of Middle French avarie damage to ship or cargo, from Old Italian avaria, from Arabic ʽawārīya damaged merchandise

First Known Use

Noun

1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1769, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing average

• arithmetic average
• average/normal/general/usual run of
• average out
• average out to
• batting average
• Dow Jones average
• earned run average
• grade point average
• quality point average
• slugging average
• sub-average
• un-average

Kids Definition

average

1 of 3 noun

av·​er·​age ˈav-(ə-)rij 

1

: arithmetic mean

2

: a level typical of a group, class, or series

their work is above the average

3

: a ratio of successful tries to total tries

batting average

average

2 of 3 adjective

1

: equaling or close to an arithmetic mean

2

: being ordinary or usual

the average person

an average day

averagely adverb

averageness noun

average

3 of 3 verb

averaged; averaging

1

: to amount to on the average

they average four feet in height

2

: to do or get usually

she averaged 40 miles a day

3

: to find the average of

average the grades