Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense diagrams, present participle diagramming, past tense, past participle diagrammedregional note: in AM, use diagraming, diagramed
1. countable noun
A diagram is a simple drawing which consists mainly of lines and is used, for example, to explain how a machine works.
...a circuit diagram.
You can reduce long explanations to simple charts or diagrams.
Synonyms: plan, figure, drawing, chart More Synonyms of diagram
2. verb
To diagram something means to draw a diagram of it or to explain it using a diagram.
[mainly US, formal]
The sound waves of the voice could be diagramed as in B. [beVERB-ed]
...diagramming the movement of a system's variables. [VERB noun]
diagram in British English
(ˈdaɪəˌɡræm)
noun
1.
a sketch, outline, or plan demonstrating the form or workings of something
2. mathematics
a pictorial representation of a quantity or of a relationship
a Venn diagram
verbWord forms: -grams, -gramming, -grammedWord forms: US-grams, -graming or -gramed
3.
to show in or as if in a diagram
Derived forms
diagrammatic (ˌdaɪəɡrəˈmætɪk) or diagrammatical (ˌdaɪəɡrəˈmætɪkəl)
adjective
diagrammatically (ˌdiagramˈmatically)
adverb
Word origin
C17: from Latin diagramma, from Greek, from diagraphein, from graphein to write
diagram in American English
(ˈdaɪəˌgræm)
noun
1.
a geometric figure, used to illustrate a mathematical statement, proof, etc.
2.
a sketch, drawing, or plan that explains a thing by outlining its parts and theirrelationships, workings, etc.
3.
a chart or graph explaining or illustrating ideas, statistics, etc.
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdiaˌgramed or ˈdiaˌgrammed, ˈdiaˌgraming or ˈdiaˌgramming
4.
to show or represent by a diagram; make a diagram of
Derived forms
diagrammatic (ˌdiagramˈmatic) (ˈdaɪəgrəˈmætɪk)
adjective or ˌdiagramˈmatical
diagrammatically (ˌdiagramˈmatically)
adverb
Word origin
Gr diagramma < diagraphein, to mark out by lines, draw < dia- (see dia-) + graphein, to write (see graphic)
Examples of 'diagram' in a sentence
diagram
And when you do find it, it's full of badly drawn diagrams that make no sense.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
No map or diagram of the venues is available.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Another aid to understanding and recall is to make diagrams or sketches.
Lumsden, Robert 23 Steps to Successful Achievement (1972)
We usually can explain the gospel through outlines and diagrams.
Christianity Today (2000)
Then she showed them a diagram of my spleen.
The Sun (2011)
Let us now draw a diagram of each of these plots over one season.
Kitto, Dick Planning the Organic Vegetable Garden (1986)
The diagram shows the block diagram of an open loop system.
Chapman, C. & Horsley, M. & Small, E. Technology Basic Facts (1990)
Draw a flow diagram for the production of a chicken curry.
Joanna Blythman Bad Food Britain (2006)
The diagram below shows how value gets added to a product in a two stage production process.
Harrison, John Finance for the Non-Financial Manager (1989)
Draw a diagram that shows a monopoly losing money in the short run.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
The diagram appears to show the longer side of the rectangle as its base.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Do you want me to draw you a diagram?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It has a moving diagram showing energy flows and an electric blue battery charge gauge.
The Sun (2010)
Do this exercise at regular intervals and draw a rough diagram as a record.
Lindenfield, Gael 50 Ways to Become a Self-Confident Woman (1989)
Draw a diagram showing the path of adjustment for the typical firm and for the industry.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
See the diagram overleaf for proportions.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Or devise your own plans, sketching diagrams that you then convert into scale drawings.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We're still looking at the circuit diagrams.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
One of the drawings for it is a simple diagram that uses a flow chart to show differentways of introducing medicine into the body.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
See diagram on opposite page.
Jilbert, John Geography Basic Facts (1983)
I held textbooks of basic surgical techniques up to mirrors to see if the diagrams of knot tying made any more sense.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Push their chin upwards ( see diagram overleaf).
Cohen, Julian & Kay, James Taking Drugs Seriously (1994)
See diagram on page 66. Dental formula refers to an adult mammal with the correct number of teeth.
McCahill, T. A. Biology Basic Facts (1982)
Fry's main job seems to be standing in front of a whiteboard, using various equations and diagrams to explain that trains are quite fast and quite heavy.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
diagram
British English: diagram /ˈdaɪəˌɡræm/ NOUN
A diagram is a drawing which is used to explain something.
...a diagram of a computer.
American English: diagram
Arabic: رَسْمٌ بِيَانِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: diagrama
Chinese: 示意图
Croatian: dijagram
Czech: diagram
Danish: diagram
Dutch: diagram
European Spanish: esquema
Finnish: diagrammi
French: diagramme
German: Diagramm
Greek: διάγραμμα
Italian: diagramma
Japanese: 図
Korean: 그림
Norwegian: diagram
Polish: wykres
European Portuguese: diagrama
Romanian: grafic
Russian: диаграмма
Latin American Spanish: diagrama
Swedish: diagram
Thai: แผนภาพ
Turkish: şekil
Ukrainian: діаграма
Vietnamese: biểu đồ
All related terms of 'diagram'
bar diagram
a graph consisting of vertical or horizontal bars whose lengths are proportional to amounts or quantities
block diagram
a diagram showing the interconnections between the parts of an industrial process
phase diagram
A phase diagram is a drawing which shows the phases that exist for a particular range of temperature , pressure, volume , and chemical composition .
tree diagram
a diagram that branches out to show many or all possibilities
Venn diagram
a diagram in which mathematical sets or terms of a categorial statement are represented by overlapping circles within a boundary representing the universal set, so that all possible combinations of the relevant properties are represented by the various distinct areas in the diagram
Argand diagram
a diagram in which complex numbers are represented by the points in the plane the coordinates of which are respectively the real and imaginary parts of the number, so that the number x + i y is represented by the point ( x, y ), or by the corresponding vector < x, y >. If the polar coordinates of ( x, y ) are ( r , θ), r is the modulus and θ the argument of x + i y
Feynman diagram
a graphical representation of the interactions between elementary particles
scatter diagram
a graph that plots along two axes at right angles to each other the relationship between two variable quantities, such as height and weight
butterfly diagram
a graphical butterfly-shaped representation of the sunspot density on the solar disc in the 11-year sunspot cycle
indicator diagram
a graphical or other representation of the cyclic variations of pressure and volume within the cylinder of a reciprocating engine obtained by using an indicator
chromaticity diagram
a diagram in which values of two chromaticity coordinates are marked on a pair of rectangular axes , a point in the plane of these axes representing the chromaticity of any colour
free-body diagram
A free-body diagram is a diagram of a structure in which all supports are replaced by forces.
stem-and-leaf diagram
a histogram in which the data points falling within each class interval are listed in order
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
a graph in which the spectral types of stars are plotted against their absolute magnitudes . Stars fall into different groupings in different parts of the graph
Chinese translation of 'diagram'
diagram
(ˈdaɪəɡræm)
n(c)
图(圖)解 (tújiě) (个(個), gè)
(noun)
Definition
a sketch or plan showing the form or workings of something
a diagram showing the workings of the engine
Synonyms
plan
Draw a plan of the garden.
figure
Figure 26 shows a small circular garden of herbs.
drawing
She did a drawing of me.
chart
The chart below shows the results of our survey.
outline
an outline of a plan to reduce the country's national debt
representation
a life-like representation of Christ
sketch
I had a basic sketch of a plan.
layout
He tried to recall the layout of the farmhouse.
graph
As the graph shows, inflation has risen sharply over the last two months.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of chart
Definition
a graph, table, or sheet of information in the form of a diagram
The chart below shows the results of our survey.
Synonyms
table,
diagram,
blueprint,
graph,
tabulation,
plan,
map
in the sense of drawing
Definition
a picture or plan made by means of lines on a surface