random

plural randoms

1. countableuncountablenow only in the phrase at randomA roving motion; course without definite direction; lack of rule or method; chance.

   O ! many a shaft, at random sent, / Finds mark the archer little meant !

   1815, Sir Walter Scott, The Lord of the Isles, page 216

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   Still take advice ; though counsels, when they fly / At random, sometimes hit most happily.

   1648, Robert Herrick, Hesperides, London: H. G. Clarke and Co., published 1844, page 134

2. countableobsoleteuncountableSpeed, full speed; impetuosity, force.First known use 14th–17th c.

   […] for coragiouſly the two kynges newely foughte with great randon and force, they ſhewed their vigors and ſtrengthes and did ſo nobly that their coũter parties had none aduaũtage.

   1548, Edward Hall, “The triumphant reigne of Kyng Henry the VIII”, in The Union of the two noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke (Hall’s Chronicle), page 82v

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   they were messagers vnto kyng Ban & Bors sent from kynge Arthur / therfor said the viij knyghtes ye shalle dye or be prysoners / for we ben knyghtes of kyng Claudas And therwith two of them dressid theire sperys / and Vlfyus and Brastias dressid theire speres and ranne to gyder with grete raundon

   they were messengers unto King Ban and Bors sent from King Arthur. Therefore, said the eight knights, ye shall die or be prisoners, for we be knights of King Claudas. And therewith two of them dressed their spears, and Ulfius and Brastias dressed their spears, and ran together with great random.

   1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter X, in Le Morte Darthur, book I

   Synonyms: force, momentum, speed, velocity

3. countableobsoleteuncountableThe full range of a bullet or other projectile; hence, the angle at which a weapon is tilted to allow the greatest range.First known use 16th–19th c.

   Fortie yards will they shoot levell, or very neare the marke, and 120 is their best at Random.

   1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, Kupperman, published 1988, page 144

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   […] the angle at which the miſſive is to mount by ( if we will have it go to its furtheſt randome ) muſt be the half of a right one […]

   1644, Sir Kenelm Digby, Two Treatises, page 125

4. colloquialcountablefigurativelyuncountableAn undefined, unknown or unimportant person; a person of no consequence.First known use 20th c.

   The party was boring. It was full of randoms.

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   ‘The days I had to have sex with randoms, I thought thank God!’ Jamie Bell on eye-popping drama Half Man [title]

   2026 May 22, Michael Hogan, “‘The days I had to have sex with randoms, I thought thank God!’ Jamie Bell on eye-popping drama Half Man”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   Synonyms: rando, nobody, nonentity

5. countableuncountablebusinessThe direction of a rake-vein.
6. countablehistoricaluncountablemediaA frame for composing type.

   Printers' frames and randoms

   2002, Republic of Korea, number 2, page 502

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   Utilization of all floor space underneath case racks and randoms is another feature of the modern composing room; […]

   1935, Newspaper World, numbers 1930-1955, page 41

comparative more random · superlative most random

1. Occurring for no particular reason; haphazard, unpredictable.

   random acts of kindness

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   Our city is plagued by random acts of violence.

   A killer who stabbed a granddad to death on his front garden in a random attack while under a delusion he was a paedophile has been given a hospital order.

   2026 September 22, Isaac Ashe, “Man who killed 82-year-old in random attack sentenced”, in BBC News, retrieved 22 Sep 2026

   Synonyms: desultory

2. mathematicsInvolving an outcome which is impossible to predict, but which may be represented by a probability distribution; in the ideal case, involving outcomes which are equally likely.

   Near-synonyms: aleatory, stochastic

   5 more examples

   The flip of a fair coin is purely random.

   The newspaper conducted a random sample of five hundred American teenagers.

   The results of the field survey look random by several different measures.

   A toss of a loaded die is still random, though biased.

   July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Riseshttps://web.archive.org/web/20130918201706/http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-dark-knight-rises-review-batman,82624/ Where the Joker preys on our fears of random, irrational acts of terror, Bane has an all-consuming, dictatorial agenda that’s more stable and permanent, a New World Order that’s been planned out with the precision of a military coup.

   Synonyms: aleatory, stochastic

3. computingPseudorandom; mimicking the result of random selection.

   The rand function generates a random number from a seed.

4. informalSelected for no particular reason; arbitrary; unspecified.

   A random American off the street couldn't tell the difference.

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   You're just going to trust the word of random people on the Internet?

   I didn't have time to peruse the resturant's menu, so I just ordered some random dish.

   Whatever random hobby you're into, there's an Internet community for it.

5. informalBeing (part of) a varied, unrelated, and apparently arbitrary collection of things; diverse, heterogeneous.

   I brought a bunch of random snacks, but nothing nutritious.

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   My notebook has turned into a random collection of thoughts.

   I mixed a bunch of random vegetables into a salad, and it actually turned out pretty good.

6. informalApropos of nothing; lacking context, relevance, or any connection to the previous situation; unexpected.

   I feel like pineapple is a very random thing to put on a pizza.

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   This random guy just came up to me to say that he was a fan of my work.

   Thank you for that completely random comment... now, let's get back to our actual topic of discussion.

   The teacher's bartending story was interesting, but very random.

7. informalOf a person: characterized by or often saying random things; habitually using non sequiturs.

   You're so random! I never know what you're going to do next.

8. UKslangBeing out of the ordinary; unusual or unexpected; odd, strange, bizarre.

   That's a rather random fact!

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   I can't believe he would say that. That's so random!

present singular third person randoms · participle present randoming · participle past randomed · past randomed

1. intransitiveuncommonTo wander; to stray; to meander.