How to Use define in a Sentence

define

verb
  • That fence defines the far edge of the property.
  • She believes that success should be defined in terms of health and happiness.
  • The government study seeks to define urban poverty.
  • Her book aims to define acceptable social behavior.
  • It’s often used to define output for both heating and cooling systems.
    Barbara Bellesi Zito, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2023
  • The first step is to define the purpose of the transformation in terms of business objectives and how they will be achieved.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023
  • Lenz’s relationship with religion now is less defined by rules and more about curiosity and trusting herself.
    Scarlett Harris, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
  • That classic game might define every intangible quality that makes Hurts great: bravery, poise, skill, talent and true grit.
    Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 8 Feb. 2023
  • Ingredients that work and are a hit with end customers don't tend to be replaced — and are often the defining feature of the final product, Houser says.
    Kimberly Chin, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Failing or underperforming on these exams can feel devastating, but setbacks shouldn't define your future.
    Vijay Naik, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
  • For the first time in 13 years, the Chicago Sky will have to define themselves without Courtney Vandersloot.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2023
  • The rest of my hair looked shiny, defined, and healthy.
    Jihan Forbes, Allure, 3 Sep. 2019
  • For me, that was a big, defining question to bring to the group.
    Nicole Kagan, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2023
  • Goody was at the frontier of this new genre and helped to define it.
    V.m. Braganza, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2023
  • Where are you supposed to find the time to define these three pieces?
    Bill Keen, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2021
  • At the heart of the debate has always been how to define open space.
    Shirley Leung, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Mar. 2021
  • Patrizia to life in the three decades that span the film and define her story.
    Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 1 Dec. 2021
  • The need to fight corruption is clear, but so is the need to define it.
    Elliott Abrams, National Review, 5 Oct. 2021
  • Johnson has one of the jobs that might, with luck, come to define our era.
    Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2020
  • This was the first year the survey asked the questions, which didn’t define those terms.
    Nancy A. Youssef, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Her mother used to tell her that the event wouldn’t define them.
    Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2021
  • John Lennon once said that your voice defines rock and roll.
    Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 21 Dec. 2023
  • And it’s used by philosophers a lot to define a good life.
    Shayla Love, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Cheyenne Woods has always had to define her place in the pro golf world.
    Editors, USA TODAY, 12 July 2020
  • The poll doesn't define what a civil war would look like.
    Ledyard King, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2020
  • For better or worse, this fight would come to define him in the last years of his life.
    Keith Bierygolick, The Enquirer, 27 June 2020
  • The lines are just like foul lines on a baseball field, defining the field of play.
    Steve Lord, Aurora Beacon-News, 7 June 2019
  • Some of the many factors that help define prices at the pump are more mundane.
    Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2022
  • What was still to define was the structure of the leadership.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023
  • And lastly, define what getting back on track means for you in the short term and the longer term.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 24 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'define.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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