mass

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
capitalized : the liturgy of the Eucharist (see eucharist sense 1) especially in accordance with the traditional Latin rite (see rite sense 1)
2
often capitalized : a celebration of the Eucharist (see eucharist sense 1)
Sunday masses held at three different hours
3
: a musical setting for the ordinary of the Mass
Bach's Mass in B Minor

mass

2 of 5

noun (2)

1
a
: a quantity or aggregate of matter usually of considerable size
b(1)
(2)
: massive quality or effect
(3)
: the main part or body
the great mass of the continent is buried under an ice capWalter Sullivan
(4)
: aggregate, whole
men in the mass
c
: the property of a body that is a measure of its inertia and that is commonly taken as a measure of the amount of material it contains and causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
2
: a large quantity, amount, or number
a mass of material
3
a
: a large body of persons in a group
a mass of spectators
b
: the great body of the people as contrasted with the elite
often used in plural
the underprivileged and disadvantaged massesC. A. Buss

mass

3 of 5

verb

massed; massing; masses

transitive verb

: to form or collect into a mass

intransitive verb

: to assemble in a mass
three thousand students had massed in the plazaA. E. Neville

mass

4 of 5

adjective

1
a
: of or relating to the mass of the people
mass market
also : being one of or at one with the mass : average
mass man
b
: participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals
mass destruction
c
: having a large-scale character
mass plantings of tulips
2
: viewed as a whole : total
the mass effect of a design

Mass

5 of 5

abbreviation

Choose the Right Synonym for mass

bulk, mass, volume mean the aggregate that forms a body or unit.

bulk implies an aggregate that is impressively large, heavy, or numerous.

the darkened bulk of the skyscrapers

mass suggests an aggregate made by piling together things of the same kind.

a mass of boulders

volume applies to an aggregate without shape or outline and capable of flowing or fluctuating.

a tremendous volume of water

Examples of mass in a Sentence

Verb A large crowd of demonstrators massed outside the courthouse. Clouds were massing on the horizon. The generals massed their troops. Adjective Television is a mass medium.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Army officials will testify Thursday before a special commission investigating the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history. CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors are seeking to hold Crumbley responsible for the deaths of four students murdered by his son in the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 James Crumbley has pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the November 30, 2021, mass shooting at Oxford High School, in which his son Ethan killed four students and wounded six students and a teacher. Eric Levenson, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Robert Card, the Army reservist who carried out a deadly mass shooting in Maine last year before taking his own life, showed signs of traumatic brain injury seen in people who have been exposed to weapons blasts, according to a research center that analyzed Card’s brain after his death. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 The Independence man accused in a mass shooting that left an Independence police officer and Jackson County court employee dead made his first appearance in court Wednesday. Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Price, a longtime civil rights attorney who became DA in January, has called lengthy prison sentences a vestige of the country’s racist overreaction to crime, one that has devastated communities of color and led to unnecessary mass incarceration of criminals. Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Water mitigation implementation: Working knowledge and expertise of mass timber water mitigation strategies to best meet client goals. Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 The bull charges out of the metal door, dark brown, 400 kilos of mass on a mission to destroy. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024
Verb
March to War In March 2021, the Russian military started massing troops along the border with Ukraine. Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 On return journeys, their boats were first full of food and medicine — then later, with explosives and Ukrainian soldiers, who secretly massed on the Dnieper’s western shores. Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024 In Berlin two weeks ago, farmers in their tractors from across Germany massed in the city center near the Brandenburg Gate, blocking access to parliament. William Booth, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024 Israel has tens of thousands of troops massed outside Gaza, waiting for orders to invade the territory, where some 200 Israelis seized in the Hamas raid are being held hostage. Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023 The 8 to 9-inch plants can be spaced a foot apart in garden beds and used as edging or massed in groups. Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2024 Since the shooting, there has been widespread criticism of the officers who massed outside the school and waited in hallways as the shooter could be heard firing an AR-15-style rife in a classroom. CBS News, 21 Dec. 2023 The White House on Monday condemned a group of protesters who massed and chanted in front of an Israeli-style falafel shop in Philadelphia on Sunday night, characterizing the demonstration as an act of anti-Jewish prejudice. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2023 At one point the director ponders the unusual nature of clouds overhead, only to realize they are massed missile trails. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Concerned experts Artificial intelligence researchers, professors and legal experts are concerned about AI’s mass adoption before regulators have the ability or willingness to rein it in. Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 North College Hill's fire chief was placed on administrative leave Saturday as the city faces a mass resignation of the fire department's staff. The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024 The lapses since the last albums by either of these parties has not done anything to diminish the mass public appreciation of, and hunger for repeat appearances from, Lennox and Wendy and Lisa. Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 Last year, there were six hundred and fifty-six mass shootings in the United States. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2024 There have been 10 mass killings — nine of them shootings — in the U.S. so far this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. Gene Johnson, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 Reports of mass starvation in the north, unreachable by most aid convoys, spurred Biden to authorize food airdrops and the U.S. military construction of a temporary port on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to allow mass deliveries of assistance. Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The 2006 retention ordinance was drafted in response to mass firings that occurred in 2000 at a Wyndham hotel near LAX. Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Gun violence has exploded across the U.S. in recent years — from mass shootings at concerts and supermarkets to school fights settled with a bullet after the last bell. Christine Spolar, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English mæsse, modification of Vulgar Latin *messa, literally, dismissal at the end of a religious service, from Late Latin missa, from Latin, feminine of missus, past participle of mittere to send

Noun (2)

Middle English masse, from Anglo-French, from Latin massa, from Greek maza; akin to Greek massein to knead — more at mingle

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adjective

1733, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of mass was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mass

Cite this Entry

“Mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mass

1 of 4 noun
1
capitalized : a series of prayers and ceremonies forming the eucharistic service especially of the Roman Catholic Church
2
often capitalized : a celebration of the Eucharist
3
: a musical setting for parts of the Mass

mass

2 of 4 noun
1
a
: a quantity of matter or the form of matter that holds or clings together in one body
a mass of metal
b
: large size : bulk
c
: the principal part : main body
2
: the quantity of matter in a body
weight is the force on a mass due to gravity
3
: a large amount or number
4
plural : the common people

mass

3 of 4 verb
: to form or collect into a mass

mass

4 of 4 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or designed for the mass of the people
mass market
2
: participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals
mass demonstrations
Etymology

Noun

Old English mæsse "religious service," from Latin missa, literally "dismissal at the end of a religious service," derived from earlier missus, past participle of mittere "to send"

Noun

Middle English masse "a large body or quantity of material," from early French masse (same meaning), from Latin massa (same meaning), from Greek maza "mass"

Medical Definition

mass

noun
1
: the property of a body that is a measure of its inertia, that is commonly taken as a measure of the amount of material it contains, that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field, and that along with length and time constitutes one of the fundamental quantities on which all physical measurements are based
2
: a homogeneous pasty mixture compounded for making pills, lozenges, and plasters
blue mass

Legal Definition

mass

1 of 2 noun
: an aggregation of usually similar things (as assets in a succession) considered as a whole

mass

2 of 2 adjective
: participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals
mass insurance underwriting
mass tort litigation

More from Merriam-Webster on mass

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