What does "size" mean?
The dimensions or magnitude of a thing; how big something is.
Size
/saɪz/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The dimensions or magnitude of a thing; how big something is.
- Grammar: size is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: magnitude, scale, adad, adhesive.
- Useful contrasts: unsized, disregard, ignore.
- Usage evidence: Your book is double the size of mine.
How to use "size"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "size" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "size" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "size" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "size" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "size" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "magnitude" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "size", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The dimensions or magnitude of a thing; how big something is. countable, uncountable
"The size of the building seemed to have increased since I was last there."
- 2 A thin, weak glue used as primer for paper or canvas intended to be painted upon. countable, uncountable
"The beginning of a new episode of work for Bradly was an agitated niggling over six-by-four squares of cardboard coated with size and white lead, prepared by himself to save an experimental waste of canvas."
- 3 Alternative form of sice (“number six in dice games”). alt-of, alternative
- 4 the property resulting from being one of a series of graduated measurements (as of clothing) wordnet
- 5 A specific set of dimensions for a manufactured article, especially clothing. countable, uncountable
"I don't think we have the red one in your size."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 Wallpaper paste. countable, uncountable
- 7 the physical magnitude of something (how big it is) wordnet
- 8 The number of edges in a graph. countable, uncountable
- 9 The thickened crust on coagulated blood. countable, uncountable
- 10 a large magnitude wordnet
- 11 Degree of rank, ability, character, etc. countable, dated, figuratively, uncountable
"men of a less size and quality**"
- 12 Any viscous substance, such as gilder's varnish. countable, uncountable
- 13 the actual state of affairs wordnet
- 14 An instrument consisting of a number of perforated gauges fastened together at one end by a rivet, used for measuring the size of pearls countable, uncountable
"Edward H[enry] Knight (1877), “Size”, in Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary. […], volumes III (REA–ZYM), New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton […], →OCLC.."
- 15 any glutinous material used to fill pores in surfaces or to stiffen fabrics wordnet
- 16 Ellipsis of chili size (“hamburger served with chili con carne”). US, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 17 An assize. countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable
"I know you would have women above the law, but it is all a lye; I heard his lordship say at size, that no one is above the law."
- 18 A regulation, piece of ordinance. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 19 A regulation determining the amount of money paid in fees, taxes etc. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 20 A fixed standard for the magnitude, quality, quantity etc. of goods, especially food and drink. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"to scant my sizes"
Verb
- 1 To adjust the size of; to make a certain size. transitive
"a statute […] to size weights, and measures"
- 2 To apply glue or other primer to a surface which is to be painted. transitive
- 3 make to a size; bring to a suitable size wordnet
- 4 To classify or arrange by size.; To take the height of men, in order to place them in the ranks according to their stature. transitive
- 5 sort according to size wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To classify or arrange by size.; To sift (pieces of ore or metal) in order to separate the finer from the coarser parts. transitive
- 7 cover or stiffen or glaze a porous material with size or sizing (a glutinous substance) wordnet
- 8 To classify or arrange by size.; To separate different proteins by molecular weight. transitive
"However, SDS-PAGE consistently sized most of the proteins smaller than the ProteoAnalyzer, resulting in a larger percent difference between the two systems."
- 9 To approximate the dimensions, estimate the size of. colloquial, transitive
- 10 To take a greater size; to increase in size. intransitive
"after 1633 (first published), John Donne, Farewell to Love Our desires give them fashion, and so, / As they wax lesser, fall, as they size, grow."
- 11 To order food or drink from the buttery; hence, to enter a score, as upon the buttery book. UK, obsolete
- 12 To swell; to increase the bulk of. obsolete, transitive
"2. Queen.[…]lend us a knee; But touch the ground for us no longer time Then a Doves motion, when the head's pluckt off: ell him if he i'th blood cizd field, lay swolne Showing the Sun his Teeth; grinning at the Moone What you would doe."
Adjective
- 1 (used in combination) sized wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Your book is double the size of mine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "size"?
Common synonyms include: magnitude, scale, adad, adhesive, adjust, albumen.
How do you use "size" in a sentence?
Your book is double the size of mine.
How do you pronounce "size"?
Pronounced /saɪz/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Attested since the 14th century, originally meant a “law or regulation that determines the amount to be paid”, from Middle English syse, sise (“regulation, control, limit”), from Old French cise, sise, aphetism of assise (“assize”), from the verb asseoir (“to sit down”), from Latin assidēre, composed of ad- (“to, towards, at”) + sedeō (“sit; settle down”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed-. Displaced native Old English miċelnes (literally “bigness”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English syse, of unclear origin; related to Old Italian sisa (“a glue used by painters”), perhaps ultimately related to size / syse (“amount”), or perhaps shortened from assisa, from assiso (“to make to sit, to seat, to place”)