average
1 of 3noun
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 3adjective
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 3verb
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
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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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? See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Scottie Bordelon, Arkansas Online, 18 Feb. 2023 Baseball games have been getting longer in recent years, dragging on for an average of more than three hours, compared to two-and-a-half hours in the 1970s. —Frederic J. Frommer, CNN, 18 Feb. 2023 The theft rate for cars without immobilizers was 2.18 per year per 1,000 insured vehicles, versus 1.21 for the industry average for 2015–2019. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 15 Feb. 2023 In seven regular-season and two playoff games for the Chiefs, Toney had 20 receptions for 216 yards and two touchdowns, six rushing attempts for 73 yards and one touchdown and 14 punt returns for a 6.9-yard average. —Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 12 Feb. 2023 Hotel stays are also soaring, with nightly rates for rooms in the greater Phoenix area going for an average of $500 and up. —Danielle Directo-meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2023 Turner and Jordan combined for 275 rushing yards for a respective average of 5.2 and 12.8 yards per carry. —Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 20 Jan. 2023 Clackamas Community College sometimes gets more than 300 applicants for an average of 30 open spots, Walker said. —oregonlive, 15 Jan. 2023 Mortgage rates more than doubled in 2022, reaching upwards of 7.1% for the national average before ending the year at around 6.4%. —Ben Carlson, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2023 Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023 The sole revenue source is often from fees — which on average exceed the annual tuition at the University of Alaska. —Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Feb. 2023 But the economic facts of Blacks and Whites on average are different. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 20 Feb. 2023 On average, not until March 30 does a Washington afternoon offer the same 62-degree warmth as Sunday’s. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2023 Office REITs suffered even more, with an average loss of nearly 38%, as the work-from-home trend emptied many buildings. —Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2023 Without any legislative action, benefits would automatically be cut by 23% on average by 2033, according to the Congressional Budget Office's December 2022 report on the program. —Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2023 The governor also wants to expand the state income tax credit for the working poor, giving families who earn less than $64,000 per year an extra $211, on average. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2023 Male gorillas, on average, live into their mid-30s, Linehan said. —Tonya Alanez, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Feb. 2023 Michael Shapiro, Chron, 26 Jan. 2023 Nonetheless, Oubre still managed to average 20.2 points per game. —Michael Arinze, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2023 Badusi earned an 81% grade for playing on the line that allowed Timberview, a regional finalist, to average 52 points per game – an area high among 5A teams. —Dallas News, 18 Jan. 2023 The only players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists over a full season are Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, and Jokić during his first MVP run in 2021. —Shane Young, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022 The 6-4, 255-pound Jones, an Iowa recruit, was a major part of a Brownsburg offensive line that helped pave the way for the Bulldogs to average 39.3 points per game (ranking second in Class 6A) and 450 yards of total offense per game. —Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Dec. 2022 The Vikings, who average 22.9 points per game, 13th in the league, are a decent place to begin doing so. —Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Nov. 2022 Ellis seems like a safe bet to average double-digit points. —Brett Dawson, The Courier-Journal, 2 Nov. 2022 The Muleriders held a 14-7 lead in the opening quarter before the Tigers, who average more than 48 points per game, scored 21 of the final 24 points of the first half. —Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2022 See More
Noun
The freshman has accounted for an average of 29.4 points in the last five games between his scoring and assists. —Scottie Bordelon, Arkansas Online, 18 Feb. 2023 Baseball games have been getting longer in recent years, dragging on for an average of more than three hours, compared to two-and-a-half hours in the 1970s. —Frederic J. Frommer, CNN, 18 Feb. 2023 The theft rate for cars without immobilizers was 2.18 per year per 1,000 insured vehicles, versus 1.21 for the industry average for 2015–2019. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 15 Feb. 2023 In seven regular-season and two playoff games for the Chiefs, Toney had 20 receptions for 216 yards and two touchdowns, six rushing attempts for 73 yards and one touchdown and 14 punt returns for a 6.9-yard average. —Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 12 Feb. 2023 Hotel stays are also soaring, with nightly rates for rooms in the greater Phoenix area going for an average of $500 and up. —Danielle Directo-meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2023 Turner and Jordan combined for 275 rushing yards for a respective average of 5.2 and 12.8 yards per carry. —Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 20 Jan. 2023 Clackamas Community College sometimes gets more than 300 applicants for an average of 30 open spots, Walker said. —oregonlive, 15 Jan. 2023 Mortgage rates more than doubled in 2022, reaching upwards of 7.1% for the national average before ending the year at around 6.4%. —Ben Carlson, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2023 Adjective
On average, the city has a fatal drug overdose death every three hours. —Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023 The sole revenue source is often from fees — which on average exceed the annual tuition at the University of Alaska. —Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Feb. 2023 But the economic facts of Blacks and Whites on average are different. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 20 Feb. 2023 On average, not until March 30 does a Washington afternoon offer the same 62-degree warmth as Sunday’s. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2023 Office REITs suffered even more, with an average loss of nearly 38%, as the work-from-home trend emptied many buildings. —Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2023 Without any legislative action, benefits would automatically be cut by 23% on average by 2033, according to the Congressional Budget Office's December 2022 report on the program. —Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2023 The governor also wants to expand the state income tax credit for the working poor, giving families who earn less than $64,000 per year an extra $211, on average. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2023 Male gorillas, on average, live into their mid-30s, Linehan said. —Tonya Alanez, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Feb. 2023 Verb
Şengün is one of four players this season to average at least 15 points, three assists and one block per game. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 26 Jan. 2023 Nonetheless, Oubre still managed to average 20.2 points per game. —Michael Arinze, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2023 Badusi earned an 81% grade for playing on the line that allowed Timberview, a regional finalist, to average 52 points per game – an area high among 5A teams. —Dallas News, 18 Jan. 2023 The only players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists over a full season are Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, and Jokić during his first MVP run in 2021. —Shane Young, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022 The 6-4, 255-pound Jones, an Iowa recruit, was a major part of a Brownsburg offensive line that helped pave the way for the Bulldogs to average 39.3 points per game (ranking second in Class 6A) and 450 yards of total offense per game. —Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Dec. 2022 The Vikings, who average 22.9 points per game, 13th in the league, are a decent place to begin doing so. —Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Nov. 2022 Ellis seems like a safe bet to average double-digit points. —Brett Dawson, The Courier-Journal, 2 Nov. 2022 The Muleriders held a 14-7 lead in the opening quarter before the Tigers, who average more than 48 points per game, scored 21 of the final 24 points of the first half. —Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2022 See More 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
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 adjective1
: 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
average 1 of 3
adjective
1
as in median
being about midway between extremes of amount or size since a Chihuahua seems as impractical as a Saint Bernard, let's get a dog of more average dimensions Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- median
- typical
- moderate
- modest
- middle
- reasonable
- middling
- mean
- normal
- intermediate
- medium
- standard
- regular
- usual
- adequate
- midsized
- midsize
- conventional
- tolerable
- common
- routine
- commonplace
- popular
- passable
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- excessive
- extreme
- exceptional
- individual
- unusual
- uncommon
- rare
- special
- strange
- private
- unique
- distinctive
- idiosyncratic
- peculiar
2
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events just an average day at the office Synonyms & Similar Words
- normal
- ordinary
- usual
- typical
- standard
- common
- commonplace
- expected
- everyday
- unremarkable
- unexceptional
- routine
- customary
- regular
- prosaic
- run-of-the-mill
- workaday
- garden-variety
- familiar
- standard-issue
- par for the course
- predictable
- cut-and-dry
- cut-and-dried
- plain
- popular
- homely
- frequent
- insignificant
- trivial
- habitual
- vulgar
- natural
- unimportant
- unextraordinary
- plain-Jane
- wonted
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- exceptional
- extraordinary
- abnormal
- unusual
- odd
- strange
- atypical
- anomalous
- curious
- peculiar
- rare
- funny
- irregular
- phenomenal
- quaint
- aberrant
- scarce
- untypical
- outstanding
- queer
- outrageous
- fantastic
- wild
- eccentric
- idiosyncratic
- bizarre
- fantastical
- weird
- prominent
- notable
- unprecedented
- oddball
- striking
- unconventional
- out-of-the-way
- unique
- freakish
- wacky
- unorthodox
- signal
- conspicuous
- nonconformist
- freak
- unparalleled
- offbeat
- salient
- novel
- singular
- recherché
- whacky
- unexampled
- outré
- kooky
- way-out
- kookie
- far-out
- Kafkaesque
3
as in typical
having or showing the qualities associated with the members of a particular group or kind the company's marketing people want to interview average teenagers to see what kinds of clothes appeal to them Synonyms & Similar Words
- typical
- normal
- standard
- usual
- regular
- true
- characteristic
- representative
- ordinary
- archetypal
- archetypical
- conventional
- expected
- common
- customary
- classic
- everyday
- predictable
- textbook
- commonplace
- workaday
- unremarkable
- vintage
- predominant
- routine
- habitual
- unexceptional
- familiar
- preponderant
- wonted
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- abnormal
- atypical
- anomalous
- unusual
- deviant
- exceptional
- uncommon
- aberrant
- irregular
- untypical
- extraordinary
- infrequent
- special
- remarkable
- nontypical
- nonrepresentative
- rare
- unique
- unconventional
- unexpected
- unpredictable
- noteworthy
- distinctive
- singular
- eccentric
- unfamiliar
- unknown
- idiosyncratic
- peculiar
- unwonted
- uncustomary
- especial
- erratic
- odd
- unorthodox
- outlandish
- strange
- curious
- nonconformist
- oddball
- outrageous
- rare
- funny
- quirky
- freakish
- wild
- singular
- fantastic
- wacky
- funky
- offbeat
- freak
- unnatural
- bizarre
- weird
- fantastical
- screwy
- whacky
- way-out
- kooky
- outré
- kookie
- out-of-the-way
- far-out
average
2 of 3noun
as in norm
what is typical of a group, class, or series my cat's a cut above the average when it comes to being a finicky eater Synonyms & Similar Words
- normal
- norm
- standard
- median
- usual
- ordinary
- mean
- par
- middle
- rule
- representative
- commonplace
- golden mean
- status quo
- run
- exemplar
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- deviation
- exception
- anomaly
- rarity
- abnormality
average
3 of 3verb
1
as in to equal
Synonyms & Similar Words
- equal
- aggregate
- measure
- total
- reach
- number
- sum (to or into)
- count (up to)
- comprise
- amount (to)
- add up (to)
- come (to)
- constitute
- make up
- compose
2
as in to even
Synonyms & Similar Words
- even
- equalize
- methodize
- square
- order
- normalize
- systemize
- systematize
- organize
- codify
- standardize
- rule
- homogenize
- regularize
- marshal
- marshall
- control
- regulate
- govern
- reconcile
- coordinate
- synthesize
- certify
- formalize
- conform
- integrate
- accredit
- conciliate
- harmonize
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- tailor
- customize
- individualize
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of average are mean, median, and norm. While all these words 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
The words mean and average are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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°
While the synonyms median and average are close in meaning, 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
In some situations, the words norm and average are roughly equivalent. However, norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.
scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic