average
noun
uk/ˈævərɪdʒ/ us(written abbreviation av, written abbreviation av., written abbreviation ave) [ C ]
the result that you get by adding two or more amounts together and dividing this total by the number of amounts:
daily/monthly/quarterly average Trading was 297 million shares, down from the three-month daily average of 313 million shares.
The state's unemployment rate remained well below the national average of 5.7 percent.
an average of Its economy has grown at an annual average of 3.6% for the past seven years.
Regulators are careful to stress that the performance figures are only averages - some companies performed better.
Compare
mean
median
mode
[ C or U ]
a level or standard that is considered to be typical for a particular place, group of people, type of business, etc.:
above/below (the) average Our companies' profitability is above the sector average.
Most of these businesses match industry averages in job creation.
[ U ] INSURANCE
→ partial loss
STOCK MARKET
an average that is based on a particular group of companies' shares, which is used to represent changes in the stock market or to show which types of businesses are getting the most investors:
the industrial average
on average
typically or usually:
On average, only about half of the consumers who qualify for a rebate actually collect it.
See also
the Dow Jones Averages
the Dow Jones Industrial Average
the Dow Jones Transportation Average
free of particular average
general average
market average
moving average
particular average
weighted average
average
adjective
uk/ˈævərɪdʒ/ usused to describe an amount that you get by adding two or more amounts together and then dividing by the number of amounts:
average price/cost/value Price rises were strong in Wales, where the average cost of a property jumped by 31.8%.
average age/speed/rate The average age of the 'Times' reader is fairly low at 42.
typical and usual:
The cost of health insurance has risen above the means of the average worker.
not bad, but not excellent either:
Despite high expectations, sales levels last quarter were only average.
average
verb [ T ]
uk/ˈævərɪdʒ/ usto equal a particular rate or amount as an average:
Traffic on its free website averages about 10,000 visitors a month.
to calculate the average amount of something by adding all the amounts together and then dividing this by the number of amounts:
Each quarter, the magazine polls a group of forecasters and averages their predictions for economic growth.
Phrasal verb
average out