array

array — noun

1. a wide selection of items or guests presented side by side, so a viewer can see

1.nounC1
Definition

a wide selection of items or guests presented side by side, so a viewer can see the variety at a glance.

Example

The night market offered a colourful array of street food from every region of Taiwan.

an array of + plural noun (variety)

Mrs. Lin spread a dazzling array of cakes across the long wooden table for her granddaughter's birthday.

[adjective] array of + plural noun

Common collocations
  • a wide array of
  • a dazzling array of
  • a bewildering array of
  • a colourful array of
Synonyms
  • selection

    more neutral; doesn't suggest visual impact

  • range

    emphasises variety more than visual display

  • collection

    stresses what has been gathered, not how it looks

Grammar Patterns

an array of + plural noun

a [adjective] array of + noun

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'of' plus a plural noun. Typical scenes include fruit at a market stall, cakes on a tea table, or celebrities on a red carpet. The adjective in front is usually positive or vivid — 'wide', 'dazzling', 'colourful', 'impressive' — or 'bewildering' when the variety feels overwhelming.

Common Mistakes

There was an array in the shop.
There was an array of toys in the shop.
'array' nearly always needs 'of + plural noun' to say what is in the group.
a array of options
an array of options
'array' starts with a vowel sound, so use 'an'.

2. in computing or mathematics, a structured set of related values — such as number

2.nounC2
Definition

in computing or mathematics, a structured set of related values — such as numbers or words — placed in a fixed order, typically as a grid of rows together with columns, so a program or person can look each one up by its position.

Example

The teacher asked Kenji to store the test scores in an array and then print them in order.

computing: store values in an array

Mei built an array where each row held the daily rainfall for one week in Taipei.

rows and columns structure

Common collocations
  • a two-dimensional array
  • an empty array
  • an array of values
  • an array index
Synonyms
  • list

    informal, single-row equivalent in many programming contexts

  • matrix

    specifically a two-dimensional array of numbers in maths

  • table

    everyday word for a rows-and-columns layout

Grammar Patterns

an array of + numbers/values

a [size] array

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always sits inside a technical context (a program, a spreadsheet, a maths problem). Computer programmers usually mean sense 2; a food writer usually means sense 1.

Common Mistakes

Save the data in array.
Save the data in an array.
countable, so it needs 'an' or 'the' or a plural form.
The array contains in three rows.
The array is arranged in three rows.
'array' itself is the container; it doesn't take 'contains in'.

array — verb

Word family

  • arrayed
    adjectiveC2
  • disarray
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words point to a group of things considered together, but the feel is different. 'Array' is the most visual and the most flattering — it suggests the items are spread out so a viewer can take them all in at once, often with admiration. 'Selection' is the most neutral and is the right word in shops or menus, where someone has chosen a smaller set from a larger one. 'Range' stresses how wide the variety is rather than how the items look, which is why product brochures love it. 'Collection' implies that someone has gathered the items over time and now owns them. 'Assortment' is the most casual and often points to a mixed bag without strong order — a tin of biscuits, for example. Compare: 'a dazzling array of cakes' (you can almost see them shining) versus 'a good selection of cakes' (the bakery has options) versus 'an assortment of cakes' (a few different kinds, no fuss).

array ↗selection ↗range ↗collection ↗assortment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • array of options
  • array of products
  • array of stars
  • array of weapons

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a wide array of
  • a dazzling array of
  • a bewildering array of
  • in full array

Prepositions

Etymology

Germanic rootLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

'Array' came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'areer' or 'arayer', meaning to put in order or get ready. The French word itself was built from a Latin-based prefix 'ad-' (meaning 'to') and a root linked to the Germanic word for 'ready'. The earliest English meanings were about getting soldiers ready for battle and dressing someone in fine clothes — both ideas of 'putting in order'. From the military and clothing senses, the word slowly widened to mean any orderly group of things, and in the 20th century computer scientists borrowed it for ordered sets of data.