Meaning & use
binary
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Made up of two parts, or having only two possible states or choices, such as on or off.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a binary choice.
Patterns
- a binary choice
- binary system
The test gave a binary result: pass or fail.
Light switches are binary, either on or off.
She argued that the debate was not a simple binary choice.
adjectivebefore a nouncomputingmathematics
Relating to the number system that uses only 0 and 1, or to data stored that way.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: binary code.
Patterns
- binary code
- binary file
Computers read binary code made of zeros and ones.
The program saves the picture as a binary file.
He converted the number to binary digits.
nouncountabletechnical
A system with two opposite parts, or a pair of stars that orbit each other.
Grammar: Countable: a binary, many binaries.
Patterns
- the binary of something
Scholars questioned the old binary of nature and culture.
Astronomers spotted a binary in the constellation.
The binary shifts between the two states.
Word forms
| plural | binaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- binary code
- Binary code underlies every computer program.
- binary system
- A binary system uses just two digits.
- binary choice
- This is not a binary choice between work and family.
- binary star
- Many stars we see are really a binary star.
- binary opposition
- The essay explores the binary opposition of good and evil.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dual
- Dual means having two parts, but binary adds the idea that only two options exist.
- twofold
- Twofold simply means double, while binary suggests a strict either-or.
- digital
- Digital means data stored as numbers and is wider than binary, which describes two values.
- dichotomous
- Dichotomous is a formal word for being divided into two opposed groups, whereas binary is also used in technical contexts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: binary or bionic?
binary vs bionic
Bionic describes body parts aided by machines, while binary means two-valued or using ones and zeros.
Practice
Computers store information in ___ code made of zeros and ones.
Choose one answer.
Binary describes a number system using only two digits. Decimal uses ten digits, and analog is not digital.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “binary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.