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random
[ ran-duhm ]
adjective
- proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern:
the random selection of numbers.
Synonyms: , ,
- 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.
- Chiefly British. bank 3( def 7b ).
adverb
- Building Trades. without uniformity:
random-sized slates.
random
/ ˈæԻə /
adjective
- lacking any definite plan or prearranged order; haphazard
a random selection
- statistics
- having a value which cannot be determined but only described probabilistically
a random variable
- chosen without regard to any characteristics of the individual members of the population so that each has an equal chance of being selected
random sampling
- informal.(of a person) unknown
some random guy waiting for a bus
noun
- at randomin a purposeless fashion; not following any prearranged order
random
- 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.
Derived Forms
- ˈԻdzԱ, noun
- ˈԻdz, adverb
Other Word Forms
- ·dz· adverb
- ·dz·Ա noun
- ԴDz··dz adjective
- non··dz·Ա noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of random1
Word History and Origins
Origin of random1
Idioms and Phrases
- 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.
More idioms and phrases containing random
see at random .Example Sentences
Escanuela landed in the target group — the fortunate half — of the random clinical trial.
The false positives came from urine drug tests given to prisoners undergoing treatment for drug addiction, and were not part of the random drug tests that inmates could face when they’re suspected of drug use.
On Monday, Mrs Justice Lambert gave a brief outline of the trial to the initial batch of 25 jurors before they were whittled down by random ballot to the final 12.
The “Right Now” video is a classic of the era: a bunch of random clips overlaid with slogans about oil companies and unprotected sex.
But he called the whole ordeal “kind of random.”
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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