define

It’s very hard to define or say the meaning of the word “set.” When you look up the word “set,” you’ll see that the dictionary defines it in over four hundred different ways! Can you imagine having to learn all the ways to define or explain the meaning of that one small word? I’ve heard that the word “run” now has more meanings than "set"—it can be defined in over six hundred ways! Learning all those meanings might cause me to define or show the meaning of running away!

Quiz: Try again! If your teacher asks you to define a word, what do they want you to do?

• They want you to find the word in a book.
• They want you to tell them what the word means.
• They want you to spell that word right.

• "The work of a dictionary is more than just adding new words. It's an ongoing effort to ensure that how we define words reflects changes in language—and life," said John Kelly, senior editor at Dictionary.com. — NPR
• [M]ost people will define leadership by pointing to examples, such as George Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr, Ruth Bader Ginsburg or activist Greta Thunberg. — Forbes