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array

American  
[uh-ray] / əˈreɪ /

verb (used with object)

  • arrays,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • arrayed,
    past participle,  past
  • arraying
    present participle
  1. An image of the word array as defined by to place in proper or desired order; marshal.

    to place in proper or desired order; marshal.

    Napoleon arrayed his troops for battle.

    Synonyms:
    dispose, order, range, arrange
  2. to clothe with garments, especially of an ornamental kind; dress up; deck out.

    She arrayed herself in furs and diamonds.

    Synonyms:
    decorate, adorn, ornament, attire, dress, apparel

noun

  • arrays
    plural
  1. order or arrangement, as of troops drawn up for battle.

    Synonyms:
    disposition
  2. military force, especially a body of troops.

  3. a large and impressive grouping or organization of things.

    He couldn't dismiss the array of facts.

    Synonyms:
    exhibition, exhibit, show
  4. regular order or arrangement; series.

    an array of figures.

  5. a large group, number, or quantity of people or things.

    an impressive array of scholars; an imposing array of books.

  6. attire; dress.

    in fine array.

    Synonyms:
    raiment
  7. an arrangement of interrelated objects or items of equipment for accomplishing a particular task.

    thousands of solar cells in one vast array.

  8. Mathematics, Statistics.

    1. an arrangement of a series of terms according to value, as from largest to smallest.

    2. an arrangement of a series of terms in some geometric pattern, as in a matrix.

  9. Computers. a block of related data elements, each of which is usually identified by one or more subscripts.

  10. Radio. antenna array.

array British  
/ əˈreɪ /

noun

  1. an impressive display or collection

  2. an orderly or regular arrangement, esp of troops in battle order

  3. poetic rich clothing; apparel

  4. maths a sequence of numbers or symbols in a specified order

  5. maths a set of numbers or symbols arranged in rows and columns, as in a determinant or matrix

  6. electronics an arrangement of aerials spaced to give desired directional characteristics, used esp in radar

  7. law a panel of jurors

  8. the arming of military forces

  9. computing a regular data structure in which individual elements may be located by reference to one or more integer index variables, the number of such indices being the number of dimensions in the array

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to dress in rich attire; adorn

  2. to arrange in order (esp troops for battle); marshal

  3. law to draw up (a panel of jurors)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
array Scientific  
/ ə-rā′ /
  1. Mathematics A rectangular arrangement of quantities in rows and columns, as in a matrix.

  2. Numerical data ordered in a linear fashion, by magnitude.


Other Word Forms

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Etymology

Origin of array

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English arrayen, from Anglo-French arayer, Old French are(y)er, from Germanic; compare Old English ārǣdan “to prepare,” equivalent to ā- a- 3 + ræde “prompt”


Explanation

An array is a display of something — usually something varied. You might encounter an array of cereal brands in the cereal aisle of the grocery store. Your head says to choose the Crunchy Oats 'n' Bran, but your heart wants the Sugar-Coated Chocopuffs. Although the word array comes from the Old French areyer, "to put in order," an array often just comes together. It can be an intentional design of people or features — everything from software packages to fashion shows can have an "impressive array" of components. Or, an array can fall together in nature or by chance: "the clouds became an array of beautiful shapes after the storm."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing array

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

During that mission, astronauts will install the eighth and final solar array on the station's 3B power channel.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

There is a diverse array of opponents, including the California Medical Assn., the California Teachers Assn., the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, the state Democratic Party and the state Chamber of Commerce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Bell and Hardison said they are also eager to share stories about the show’s array of guest stars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

A quick glance down Second Avenue revealed a dispiriting array of closed security grilles—the sort of forlorn prospect that one might expect in Poughkeepsie or Cleveland, not New York, the once-proud “city that never sleeps.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

My father's family, meanwhile, sprawled across Chicago’s broader South Side and included an array of great-aunts and third cousins, plus a few stray outliers whose blood connection remained cloudy.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Families had hired bands, set up sprawling arrays of tents and decorated chapels with portraits of their late loved ones inside.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

By merging the strengths of interferometric scattering microscopy and advanced detector arrays, the team created an instrument capable of resolving structures as small as approximately 120 nanometers.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

Putting smaller arrays closer to where people live has several advantages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Converting fields to solar arrays has become an attractive option for farmers who are grappling with restrictions limiting the groundwater they can pump from wells.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Despite night blindness, the Pole Star would follow, sniffing at them with its radar arrays.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

After surveying his pyramids of cans, arrayed spices and stacks of noodle soup, they issued him a 2,500-euro fine, equivalent to around $2,866.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

As Massie frequently notes, the bulk of the outside money arrayed against him has come from three billionaires – Las Vegas casino tycoon Miriam Adleson and hedge fund managers Paul Singer and John Paulson.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Three vertical screens show computer-generated landmarks of 18 world’s fairs arrayed in interstellar space—most familiar from this exhibition—slowly rotating as people cross walkways between them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

In the center of the room, real-life visitors arrayed on 26 swivel chairs turn their heads back and forth to take in the supersized Last Supper occurring all around them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025

Some camps were orderly, with the tents arrayed around a fire pit in concentric circles, weapons and armor stacked around die inner ring, horse lines outside.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

In arraying himself against adversaries no matter the cost, he has earned an appellation Robert Bolt gave Sir Thomas More: a man for all seasons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Whether the photographer is shooting on the street or arraying gray test strips to suggest stripe paintings drained of color, he’s chronicling the passage of time.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2021

By arraying spike proteins on nanoparticles, vaccine developers aim to follow the style of upscale restaurants, where presentation matters nearly as much as the food on the plate.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 15, 2021

He began to photograph his television — with its space age rounded edges — as Washington made the case for war, arraying the newscasts into televisual mosaics.

From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2015

I admired that from the start, to be able to make such an entrance without blushing and stumbling and arraying the floor with your books and the contents of your pocketbook.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

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