"def" meaning in English

See def in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /dɛf/ Audio: En-au-def.ogg [Australia] Forms: deffer [comparative], deffest [superlative]
Rhymes: -ɛf Etymology: Clipping of definitive or definitely; alternatively an eye spelling of death referring to an absolute. Etymology templates: {{clipping|en|definitive}} Clipping of definitive, {{m|en|definitely}} definitely, {{glossary|eye spelling}} eye spelling, {{m|en|death}} death Head templates: {{en-adj|deffer}} def (comparative deffer, superlative deffest)
  1. (African-American Vernacular, slang) excellent; very good Tags: slang Synonyms: excellent
    Sense id: en-def-en-adj-rRrj~Vck Categories (other): African-American Vernacular English
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 3

Adverb

IPA: /dɛf/ Audio: En-au-def.ogg [Australia]
Rhymes: -ɛf Head templates: {{head|en|adverb}} def
  1. Abbreviation of definitely. Tags: abbreviation, alt-of Alternative form of: definitely
    Sense id: en-def-en-adv-ZnatvNVd
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Noun

IPA: /dɛf/ Audio: En-au-def.ogg [Australia] Forms: defs [plural]
Rhymes: -ɛf Head templates: {{en-noun}} def (plural defs)
  1. Abbreviation of definition. Tags: abbreviation, alt-of Alternative form of: definition Synonyms: def.
    Sense id: en-def-en-noun--2Iagqt5
  2. Abbreviation of deficit. Tags: abbreviation, alt-of Alternative form of: deficit
    Sense id: en-def-en-noun-i8a0qGQ-
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: hi-def, high-def, low-def
Etymology number: 1

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for def meaning in English (5.8kB)

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "hi-def"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "high-def"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "low-def"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [],
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      "form": "defs",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "definition"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1903, F[rederick] Stroud, The Judicial Dictionary, […], 2nd edition, London: Sweet and Maxwell; Stevens and Sons, page 454",
          "text": "In that case Wills, J., adopted a dictionary def of “Cowkeeper” as, “one whose business it is to keep cows,” and added, “the business of a Cowkeeper is a special business of its own.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, Kory Stamper, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, New York, N.Y.: Pantheon Books, page 104",
          "text": "The Black Books also reflect [Philip Babcock] Gove’s notoriously brusque manner, no doubt gained from an early career in the Navy. Memos begin, “Editorializing has no place in definitions,” or “Godlove’s psychophysical defs of color names and their references had better be regarded as sacrosanct.” Sir, yes, sir!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of definition."
      ],
      "id": "en-def-en-noun--2Iagqt5",
      "links": [
        [
          "definition",
          "definition#English"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "def."
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of"
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "deficit"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of deficit."
      ],
      "id": "en-def-en-noun-i8a0qGQ-",
      "links": [
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          "deficit#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
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  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/dɛf/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛf"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "deaf"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-def.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg/En-au-def.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "def"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [],
  "etymology_text": "",
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "adverb"
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      "expansion": "def",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "definitely"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "i can def sneak out tn. where should i meet u?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 Barbie: It Takes Two, episode 7 “Start Small“ at 15 minutes, Malibu to Brooklyn",
          "text": "And focus on cleaning the park. But we should def get waffle fries after."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023-09-19, Chaise Sanders, “50 Best Halloween Costumes of All Time, From the Classics to the Truly Unique”, in Cosmopolitan",
          "text": "Not to toot our own horn, but we def had Austin Powers on VHS. This fun pop culture costume for couples may require some planning in advance to come up with these unique costumes, but trust us—it’ll pay off!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of definitely."
      ],
      "id": "en-def-en-adv-ZnatvNVd",
      "links": [
        [
          "definitely",
          "definitely#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of"
      ]
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  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/dɛf/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛf"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "deaf"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-def.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg/En-au-def.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "def"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 3,
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "definitive"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of definitive",
      "name": "clipping"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "definitely"
      },
      "expansion": "definitely",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "eye spelling"
      },
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "death"
      },
      "expansion": "death",
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    }
  ],
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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "deffer",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "deffest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "deffer"
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      "expansion": "def (comparative deffer, superlative deffest)",
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "African-American Vernacular English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1985, Ralph Farquhar, Krush Groove, spoken by Run (Joseph Simmons)",
          "text": "You real def. I’m gonna put you on stage.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988, “Run’s House”, in Tougher Than Leather, performed by Run-DMC",
          "text": "See I do this thing, so come pursue this king / One minor rhyme is all you just bring / Cause I’m the best I’m def, ask the rest they left",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988-02-07, Carly Darling, “L.A.—The Second Deffest City of Hip-Hop”, in Los Angeles Times",
          "text": "L.A.—The Second Deffest City of Hip-Hop [title]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1993, “Bring The Flavor”, in Black Reign, performed by Queen Latifah",
          "text": "I’m a Flavor Unit MC / And that means I’m one of the roughest, def-est, toughest, best-est",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "excellent; very good"
      ],
      "id": "en-def-en-adj-rRrj~Vck",
      "links": [
        [
          "excellent",
          "excellent"
        ],
        [
          "good",
          "good"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "African-American Vernacular",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(African-American Vernacular, slang) excellent; very good"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "excellent"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/dɛf/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛf"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "deaf"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-def.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg/En-au-def.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "def"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "hi-def"
    },
    {
      "word": "high-def"
    },
    {
      "word": "low-def"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [],
  "etymology_text": "",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "defs",
      "tags": [
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    }
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "def (plural defs)",
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  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "definition"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1903, F[rederick] Stroud, The Judicial Dictionary, […], 2nd edition, London: Sweet and Maxwell; Stevens and Sons, page 454",
          "text": "In that case Wills, J., adopted a dictionary def of “Cowkeeper” as, “one whose business it is to keep cows,” and added, “the business of a Cowkeeper is a special business of its own.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, Kory Stamper, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, New York, N.Y.: Pantheon Books, page 104",
          "text": "The Black Books also reflect [Philip Babcock] Gove’s notoriously brusque manner, no doubt gained from an early career in the Navy. Memos begin, “Editorializing has no place in definitions,” or “Godlove’s psychophysical defs of color names and their references had better be regarded as sacrosanct.” Sir, yes, sir!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of definition."
      ],
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          "definition",
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          "word": "def."
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        "abbreviation",
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    },
    {
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        {
          "word": "deficit"
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        "Abbreviation of deficit."
      ],
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        ]
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛf"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "deaf"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-def.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg/En-au-def.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "def"
}

{
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  "etymology_templates": [],
  "etymology_text": "",
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          "text": "i can def sneak out tn. where should i meet u?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 Barbie: It Takes Two, episode 7 “Start Small“ at 15 minutes, Malibu to Brooklyn",
          "text": "And focus on cleaning the park. But we should def get waffle fries after."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023-09-19, Chaise Sanders, “50 Best Halloween Costumes of All Time, From the Classics to the Truly Unique”, in Cosmopolitan",
          "text": "Not to toot our own horn, but we def had Austin Powers on VHS. This fun pop culture costume for couples may require some planning in advance to come up with these unique costumes, but trust us—it’ll pay off!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of definitely."
      ],
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          "definitely",
          "definitely#English"
        ]
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    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛf"
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      "homophone": "deaf"
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      "audio": "En-au-def.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg/En-au-def.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg",
      "tags": [
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      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "def"
}

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        "2": "definitive"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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      "form": "deffer",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "deffest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
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  "lang_code": "en",
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        {
          "ref": "1985, Ralph Farquhar, Krush Groove, spoken by Run (Joseph Simmons)",
          "text": "You real def. I’m gonna put you on stage.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988, “Run’s House”, in Tougher Than Leather, performed by Run-DMC",
          "text": "See I do this thing, so come pursue this king / One minor rhyme is all you just bring / Cause I’m the best I’m def, ask the rest they left",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988-02-07, Carly Darling, “L.A.—The Second Deffest City of Hip-Hop”, in Los Angeles Times",
          "text": "L.A.—The Second Deffest City of Hip-Hop [title]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1993, “Bring The Flavor”, in Black Reign, performed by Queen Latifah",
          "text": "I’m a Flavor Unit MC / And that means I’m one of the roughest, def-est, toughest, best-est",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "excellent; very good"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "excellent",
          "excellent"
        ],
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          "good",
          "good"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "African-American Vernacular",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(African-American Vernacular, slang) excellent; very good"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "excellent"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/dɛf/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛf"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "deaf"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-def.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg/En-au-def.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-def.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
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  "word": "def"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-03-12 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-03-01 using wiktextract (68773ab and 5f6ddbb). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.