dimensions

Meanings

1. 1nounusually plural

   The measurements of an object or space, such as its length, width and height.

   Grammar: Usually plural when it means the measurements: the dimensions of the room are listed below.

   Patterns

   • the dimensions of something
   • take the dimensions of something

   Please check the dimensions of the sofa before you order it.

   The box's dimensions are forty by thirty by twenty centimeters.

   We measured the dimensions of the doorway to see if the piano would fit.

2. 2nounusually plural

   The overall size or extent of something, especially a problem or event.

   Grammar: Often plural and followed by of: the dimensions of the crisis.

   Patterns

   • the dimensions of something
   • grasp the dimensions of something

   Nobody understood the full dimensions of the flood at first.

   The dimensions of the scandal became clear only after the audit.

   The charity was surprised by the dimensions of the demand for help.

3. 3nouncountable

   One particular side, feature or part of a situation that you can think about separately.

   Grammar: Countable and often singular, with an adjective: a new dimension, an emotional dimension.

   Patterns

   • add a dimension to something
   • a new dimension to something

   Her letters gave the story a personal dimension.

   The cost is only one dimension of the decision.

   Being a parent added a whole new dimension to his life.

4. 4nouncountabletechnical

   In mathematics and physics, each independent direction in which something can be measured, such as the three of ordinary space.

   Grammar: Countable, often used with a number: a space with four dimensions.

   Patterns

   • in three dimensions
   • a space of n dimensions

   A line has one dimension, a flat surface has two, and a cube has three.

   Physicists sometimes describe time as a fourth dimension.

   The software can display the model in three dimensions.

Word forms

Common combinations

the exact dimensions

I need the exact dimensions of the window to order curtains.

the dimensions of the problem

We must first understand the dimensions of the problem.

a new dimension

Music added a new dimension to the film.

in three dimensions

The architect built a model so clients could see the design in three dimensions.

give the dimensions

The seller forgot to give the dimensions of the table.

an extra dimension

Her humor gives the novel an extra dimension.

Synonyms and how they differ

measurements

Measurements are the actual figures you get when you measure something, while dimensions can also mean the general size or extent of something abstract.

size

Size is a single general idea of how big something is, whereas dimensions gives specific figures such as length and width.

extent

Extent describes how far or how widely something reaches and is used more for problems or damage than for exact measurements.

aspect

Aspect fits the third sense, a side of a situation, but it lacks the picture of an extra layer that dimension suggests.

Word family

dimension noun

one measurement or one aspect

dimensional adjective

relating to dimensions

three-dimensional adjective

having length, width and depth

multidimensional adjective

having many dimensions or aspects

dimensionless adjective

having no physical size or units

Commonly confused: dimensions or measurements? dimensions or demensions?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dimensions”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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