feature
Americannoun
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a prominent or conspicuous part or characteristic.
Tall buildings were a new feature on the skyline.
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something offered as a special attraction.
This model has several added features.
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Also called feature film. the main motion picture in a movie program.
What time is the feature?
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any part of the face, as the nose, chin, or eyes.
prominent features.
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features, the face; countenance.
to compose one's features for the photographers.
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the form or cast of the face.
delicate of feature.
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a column, cartoon, etc., appearing regularly in a newspaper or magazine.
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Archaic. make, form, or shape.
verb (used with object)
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to be a feature or distinctive mark of.
It was industrial expansion that featured the last century.
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to make a feature of; give prominence to.
to feature a story or picture in a newspaper.
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to delineate the main characteristics of; depict; outline.
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Informal. to conceive of; imagine; fancy.
He couldn't quite feature himself as a bank president.
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Older Use. to resemble in features; favor.
verb (used without object)
noun
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any one of the parts of the face, such as the nose, chin, or mouth
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a prominent or distinctive part or aspect, as of a landscape, building, book, etc
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the principal film in a programme at a cinema
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an item or article appearing regularly in a newspaper, magazine, etc
a gardening feature
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Also called: feature story. a prominent story in a newspaper, etc
a feature on prison reform
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a programme given special prominence on radio or television as indicated by attendant publicity
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an article offered for sale as a special attraction, as in a large retail establishment
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archaic general form or make-up
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linguistics a quality of a linguistic unit at some level of description
grammatical feature
semantic feature
verb
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(tr) to have as a feature or make a feature of
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to give prominence to (an actor, famous event, etc) in a film or (of an actor, etc) to have prominence in a film
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informal (tr) to imagine; consider
I can't feature that happening
Usage
What is a basic definition of feature? A feature is a distinctive trait or a special attraction. Feature can also mean to give special attention to something. The word feature has several other senses as a noun and a verb.A feature is a unique quality or characteristic that something has.
- Real-life examples: Elaborately colored tail feathers are peacocks’ most well-known feature. Earth has many features, such as a particular atmosphere, abundance of water, and temperature that make it able to sustain life. Platypuses have many features that are unusual in mammals, such as a bill and the ability to lay eggs.
- Used in a sentence: My house is really boring and doesn’t have any cool features that set it apart from every other house in the neighborhood.
- Real-life examples: Smartphones often have many features, such as Bluetooth technology, a camera, and many other additions that entice customers to buy it. People who buy cars are often interested in extra features, such as rear-view cameras, automated steering, and heated seats.
- Used in a sentence: I always go for cameras with lots of neat features, like custom white balancing.
- Real-life examples: Movie advertising often features a big star on posters and in commercials even if the person is barely in the movie. The main event fight is usually featured by boxing or mixed martial arts promoters because it will attract the most ticket buyers.
- Used in a sentence: I really like this song because it features the drummer the most.
Related Words
Feature, characteristic, peculiarity refer to a distinctive trait of an individual or of a class. Feature suggests an outstanding or marked property that attracts attention: Complete harmony was a feature of the convention. Characteristic means a distinguishing mark or quality (or one of such) always associated in one's mind with a particular person or thing: Defiance is one of his characteristics. Peculiarity means that distinct or unusual characteristic that marks off an individual in the class to which he, she, or it belongs: A blue-black tongue is a peculiarity of the chow chow.
Other Word Forms
- transfeature verb (used with object)
- underfeature noun
Etymology
Origin of feature
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English feture, from Anglo-French, Middle French faiture, from Latin factūra “formation, manufacture.” See fact, -ure
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In recent years, North Korean TV shows have featured men wearing aprons and doing housework - a sign of how much has changed there.
From BBC
Hannah Gustafson, 26, who runs a mail club called “The Tiny Post” in Austin, Texas, designs, assembles and sends out mailers featuring a personal letter and recipes to some 4,300 subscribers.
The main house featured an elaborate sculpture of a stallion trampling a dragon in the roundabout out front.
From Los Angeles Times
The last feature Gyllenhaal appeared in as an actor was 2018’s “The Kindergarten Teacher,” playing an overzealous mentor to a young poetry prodigy.
From Los Angeles Times
There’s a glut of backstory in “Unread,” steeped in the self-help language of authors like Eckhart Tolle and Eric Thomas—indeed, both of those writers are featured here.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
