array

1 of 2

verb

ar·​ray ə-ˈrā How to pronounce array (audio)
arrayed; arraying; arrays

transitive verb

1
: to dress or decorate especially in splendid or impressive attire : adorn
… he had already arrayed himself in his best clothes.Thomas Hardy
2
a
: to set or place in order : draw up, marshal
the forces arrayed against us
b
: to set or set forth in order (something, such as a jury) for the trial of a cause
3
: to arrange or display in or as if in an array
The … data are arrayed in descending order.Ed Burnett
arrayer noun

array

2 of 2

noun

1
: an imposing group : large number
faced a whole array of problems
also : variety, assortment
a broad array of styles
2
a
: a regular and imposing grouping or arrangement : order
lined up … in soldierly arrayDonald Barthelme
b
law : an orderly listing of jurors impaneled
3
b
: rich or beautiful apparel : finery
4
: a body of soldiers : militia
the baron and his feudal array
5
a(1)
: a number of mathematical elements arranged in rows and columns
(2)
: a data structure in which similar elements of data are arranged in a table
b
: a series of statistical data arranged in classes in order of magnitude
6
: a group of elements forming a complete unit
an antenna array

Examples of array in a Sentence

Verb She arrayed herself in rich velvets and satins. a door arrayed for the holidays with a beautiful evergreen wreath Noun an array of solar panels an array of baseball gloves in the corner of his room
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
David Hammons’s tarp paintings, John Chamberlain’s car sculptures, and pictures of his own iPhone, its screen cracked into a million tiny pieces, are arrayed in orderly rows. Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024 The products arrayed in the president’s video, like Oreos and Wheat Thins, were all examples of the shrinkflation that Mr. Dworsky had documented on his Consumer World website. Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 The space currently functions as a warehouse, but Mr. Sweets dreams of turning it into an artists’ bazaar, perhaps with taxidermy mounts arrayed throughout: the elephant here, the giraffe and hippo there. Katrina Miller, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2023 Each evening before the drive day, all 10 vehicles were arrayed on the lawns of Carneros Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., and the Boca Raton resort in Florida, respectively, for a late-afternoon welcome reception made all the more welcome by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024 At the memorial, a sampling from the collection was arrayed in display cases, where guests (many wearing Victorian-style elastic mourning bands on their sleeves, with a button featuring Mann’s photograph) could ogle them. Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024 Their obstructionism compelled Obama to stretch the bounds of presidential authority, and the courts were arrayed against him to a suspicious degree. Noah Rothman, National Review, 4 Jan. 2024 The vivid hues continue inside but are arrayed in more complex ways. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 The Express Key buttons are arrayed along the grain-leather-like surface of the indented grips on the left and right side panels. PCMAG, 26 Jan. 2024
Noun
Known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the initiative is supposed to send hundreds of millions of dollars a year to schools in high-poverty neighborhoods to provide an array of wraparound services. Erin Cox, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Meet Me in the Dirt sells an array of houseplants and self-care products such as candles, body oils and bath salts that Lawson makes herself. Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Cohen earned an array of endorsements, including from Mahan, the Sierra Club and the San Jose police union. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Within weeks, we were invited to an array of social gatherings. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Harlem’s The Apollo Theater continued celebrating Black history and their 90th anniversary with the grand opening of The Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater – marking the monument’s first physical expansion ever in a bid to offer an array of new opportunities for Black artists and creatives. Matthew Wright, Essence, 13 Mar. 2024 Identical bills in the House and Senate would have protected an array of contraceptives approved by federal law. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 Madonna has welcomed an array of different celebrities to help her judge the Celebration Tour’s ballroom contest. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024 This year, Vanity Fair served an array of pizzas from chef Evan Funke, but In-N-Out was still a staple of the party. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'array.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English arayen, arrayen "to put in order, prepare, marshal (troops), equip, adorn," borrowed from Anglo-French arraier, arreyer, aroier "to arrange, order, marshal, set in order (a jury, assize), equip, attire, adorn" (continental Old French areer), going back to Vulgar Latin *arrēdāre, from Latin ad- ad- + Vulgar Latin *-rēdāre, in *conrēdāre, presumed adaptation of Gothic garedan "to make provision for" — more at curry entry 1

Note: The forms arrai-, aroi- presumably represent generalizations of the tonic stem of areer. The verb *arrēdāre is common to most Romance languages: Old Occitan arezar "to put in order," Catalan arrear "to provide," Spanish, "to adorn, decorate," Italian arredare "to furnish, equip."

Noun

Middle English aray, array, arraye "preparation, arrangement, condition, line of soldiers, equipment, adornment," borrowed from Anglo-French arrai, arraie "order, arrangement, condition, ordered list of jurors, body of men, entourage, equipment," noun derivative of arraier "to order, array entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of array was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near array

Cite this Entry

“Array.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/array. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

array

1 of 2 verb
ar·​ray ə-ˈrā How to pronounce array (audio)
1
: to set in order : draw up
soldiers arrayed for review
2
: to dress especially in fine clothing : adorn
arrayer noun

array

2 of 2 noun
1
: regular order or arrangement
also : persons (as troops) in array
2
: rich or beautiful clothing
3
: an impressive group : large number
a whole array of problems
4
: a group of mathematical elements (as numbers or letters) arranged in rows and columns

Legal Definition

array

1 of 2 transitive verb
ar·​ray ə-ˈrā How to pronounce array (audio)
: to set (a jury) for trial
specifically : to set (a jury) by calling out the names of the jurors one at a time compare impanel

array

2 of 2 noun
: the group of people summoned to serve as jurors from which the jury will be chosen
also : a list of the jurors' names see also challenge to the array at challenge compare venire

More from Merriam-Webster on array

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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