array

1 of 2

verb

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

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 array—Donald Barthelme
b
law : an orderly listing of jurors impaneled
3
a
: clothing, attire
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

Synonyms

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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Verb
Solar arrays will help offset electricity needs for Detroit's 127 municipal buildings. —Dana Afana, Freep.com, 28 Oct. 2025 Advertisement Even with the full might of the federal government arrayed against them, these activists continued to speak out against the Korean War, Cold War anti-communism, and for Black Freedom. —Time, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
Hurricane Melissa spaghetti models Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025 The comprehensive service includes access to several linear networks as well as an array of sports, news, entertainment and weather content. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for array

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

Rhymes for array

See All Rhymes for array

Browse Nearby Words

Arrawak
array
arrayal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Array.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/array. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

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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
also : variety sense 2, assortment
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

Nglish: Translation of array for Spanish Speakers

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