verb · academic
define
/dɪˈfaɪn/de·FINE
Band 7+task2speaking
to state the exact meaning of a word, concept, or boundary
Examples
“It is difficult to define intelligence precisely.”
“The study defines poverty according to income and living conditions.”
“Please define the terms used in your proposal.”
Band 8 sentence
“Before collecting data, the authors clearly defined their key variables and measurement criteria.”
Collocations
- define + a term
- define + the scope
- be difficult to define
Word family
define verbdefinition noundefinite adjective
Common mistakes
The word is defined as '...' by many authors.→The word is defined as '...' by many authors.
We should define about the limits of the study.→We should define the limits of the study.
Say it for a higher band
5explain→6specify→7+define
Synonyms
describe
specify
Easily confused
describe
“She described the process in detail for the class.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 1
Learn it with its set