Diagram
noun, verb
noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A plan, drawing, sketch or outline to show the function or operation of something, or to show the relationships between the parts of a whole.
"Electrical diagrams show device interconnections."
- 2 a drawing intended to explain how something works; a drawing showing the relation between the parts wordnet
- 3 A graph or chart.
"A common way to represent change in state over time is via a timing diagram."
- 4 A functor from an index category to another category. The objects and morphisms of the index category need not have any internal substance, but rather merely outline the connective structure of at least some part of the diagram's codomain. If the index category is J and the codomain is C, then the diagram is said to be "of type J in C".
- 5 A crossword grid.
"Because you have fewer 10- to 15-letter entries in the diagram, you can make judgment calls more quickly by testing out the long ones at the outset."
Verb
- 1 To represent or indicate something using a diagram. transitive
- 2 make a schematic or technical drawing that shows interactions among variables or how something is constructed wordnet
- 3 To schedule the operations of a locomotive or train according to a diagram. UK
"The timing and diagramming staff, too, were on duty for up to 21 hours devising 80 engine, 60 guards' and 25 carriage working diagrams."
Example
More examples"This diagram will illustrate what I mean."
Etymology
From French diagramme, from Italian diagramma, from Ancient Greek διάγραμμα (diágramma).
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.