[ ran-duhm ]
/ ˈræn dəm /
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adjective
proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern: the random selection of numbers.
Statistics. of or characterizing a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen.
Building Trades.
- (of building materials) lacking uniformity of dimensions: random shingles.
- (of ashlar) laid without continuous courses.
- constructed or applied without regularity: random bond.
Slang.
- unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place: A couple of random guys showed up at the party.
- odd or unpredictable, often in an amusing way: my totally random life.
noun
something that is random, or a random state or condition: different statistical methods used to estimate randoms.
Slang.
- a person or thing that is unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.
- a person or thing that is odd or unpredictable.
adverb
Building Trades. without uniformity: random-sized slates.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Idioms about random
at random, without definite aim, purpose, method, or adherence to a prior arrangement; in a haphazard way: Contestants were chosen at random from the studio audience.
Origin of random
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English raundon, random, from Old French randon, derivative of randir “to gallop,” from Germanic
OTHER WORDS FROM random
ran·dom·ly, adverbran·dom·ness, nounnon·ran·dom, adjectivenon·ran·dom·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use random in a sentence
But science does not hold the answer to everything and even subscribes to the randomness of life on Earth.
Nothing serves as a metaphor for Florida randomness quite like a sinkhole.
How much does randomness and juvenilia and alcohol contribute to each tweet?
Fragile things—a crystal champagne flute, for instance, or a house of cards—are hurt by stress, randomness, and uncertainty.
Early versions of this idea were developed in his previous books Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan.
Which is why I prefer to inject a little randomness into my attacks on gait-recognition: I put a handful of gravel into each shoe.
This was an impressive change that introduced a linear relation in a realm that was one of randomness or even chaos.
No matter how much we learn about death, we are still not free of its frightening randomness.
Reduction from practically infinite choices to a finite number of realizations is at best a matter of randomness and exposure.
Filled with 400 rods placed equidistantly, the lightning field is the interplay between precision and randomness.
British Dictionary definitions for random
random
/ (ˈrændəm) /
adjective
lacking any definite plan or prearranged order; haphazarda random selection
statistics
- having a value which cannot be determined but only described probabilisticallya random variable
- chosen without regard to any characteristics of the individual members of the population so that each has an equal chance of being selectedrandom sampling
informal (of a person) unknownsome random guy waiting for a bus
noun
at random in a purposeless fashion; not following any prearranged order
Derived forms of random
randomly, adverbrandomness, noun
Word Origin for random
C14: from Old French randon, from randir to gallop, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German rinnan to run
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for random
random
[ răn′dəm ]
Relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.
Relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with random
random
see at random.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.