/ ˈrændəm; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
[ usually before noun ] done, chosen, etc. without sb deciding in advance what is going to happen, or without any regular pattern :
the random killing of innocent people
a random sample / selection (= in which each thing has an equal chance of being chosen)
The information is processed in a random order.
► ran·dom·ly adverb :
The winning numbers are randomly selected by computer.
My phone seems to switch itself off randomly.
► ran·dom·ness noun [ U ]:
It introduced an element of randomness into the situation.
■ noun
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IDIOMS
- at random
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense impetuous headlong rush ): from Old French randon great speed, from randir gallop.