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Glite Dictionary
to average out

to average out

6 3.4
End up as an average when you combine several amounts, for example weekly costs
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈævərɪdʒ aʊt/
translation icon : promediar
  • You may want to average them out!
  • average out to about

If not, many of these important treatment differences will get lost, they'll get basically averaged out.

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Examples

  • Mulvey calculates that the science budget increase will average out to about 6% a year for three years.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The total volume of manure from the high-rises averages out to about 55 to 60 tons per day.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Unfortunately, studies have struggled to prove that charter schools average out any better.

    Blog text (8)

  • But, in general, they average out to 211 million dollars.

    Academic text (2000)

  • In six weeks, the profit averaged out at $1500 per car, an amount considered completely acceptable.

    Flywheel (2003)

  • Day-to-day temperature fluctuations are very high, but over time, these fluctuations tend to average out and give a clear signal.

    Blog text (28)

  • If you take the highest and lowest scores, they will average out over time to give a fair result.

  • After calculating the sales over the last six months, we found that they average out to about $2000 each month.

  • When examining the temperatures for the entire year, they tend to average out to a comfortable 70 degrees.

Synonyms

to average
vsto average out
187 3.2

To calculate the typical value of a group of numbers

focuses on arriving at the mean over time rather than a single calculation
to average up
vsto average out
1 3.0

To find the average of a group of numbers or scores

involves finding the mean across time or cases rather than a single calculation

Antonyms

to stand out
244 3.2

To be easy to notice because you are different or better

deviate
7.4

Different from what people expect in behavior or ideas

How Even

to stabilize
  • US
75 4.3
to smooth out
  • Specialized
1 4.2
to even out
18 3.4
to average out
6 3.4
to vary
239 2.5
to fluctuate
52 6.3

Surface Forms

average out infinitive
averaged out past
averaged out past participle
averaging out present participle
averages out third person singular

Morphology

average + out

The verb 'average' (to compute a mean) combined with the particle 'out' (indicating resulting state or distribution) yields a meaning that is directly derivable: to result in or calculate an average over cases or time. This compositional pattern (verb + particle giving a resultant/state sense) is common and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

The phrasal verb average out comes from the simple picture of many highs and lows being smoothed together, where the parts average and out mean to combine items and spread them into one even result. So, when things average out, small differences balance over time and give a 'typical value'.