bias

BY-uhs/ˈbaɪəs/

12 meanings of bias

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A tendency to favor one thing, person, or idea over others.
Like always picking the same friend for your team, even when others play better.
Her bias toward older music shows in every playlist she makes.
The judge tried to set aside any personal bias during the trial.
Similarprejudice, preference, partiality, predisposition, predilection
Oppositeimpartiality, neutrality, objectivity, fairness
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2
verbtransitive
To make someone or something lean toward one side, so it is no longer fair.
Like putting a thumb on one side of a scale so it tips your way.
Loud ads can bias young viewers toward sugary snacks.
Try not to bias the results by asking leading questions.
Similarinfluence, sway, prejudice, skew
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3
nouncountable or uncountable
A steady error in a result that makes it differ from the true value.
Like a bathroom scale that always reads two pounds too heavy.
A poorly designed survey can introduce bias into the final numbers.
Researchers checked for bias before trusting the estimate.
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4
adjective
Leaning or tilted toward one side, and bulging more on that side.
Like a balloon that puffs out more on one side than the other.
The stack of books looked bias, leaning heavily to the left.
One wheel was bias, swelled out more than the other three.
Similarlopsided, uneven
Oppositesymmetrical, even
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5
adjective
Cut at a slant across the weave of a cloth, not straight along it.
Like cutting a sandwich corner to corner instead of straight across.
She sewed a bias strip along the neckline to help it stretch.
The skirt was cut bias so it would hang in soft folds.
6
adverb
In a slanting or diagonal direction, across rather than straight.
Like drawing a line from one corner of a page to the other.
Fold the napkin bias to make a neat triangle.
Lay the tape bias across the corner for a smooth finish.
Similardiagonally, obliquely, crosswise, slantwise
Oppositestraight
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7
verbtransitive
To apply a small voltage or current to an electronic part to set how it works.
Like setting a thermostat to a starting temperature before the day begins.
Engineers bias the transistor to keep it in its active range.
You must bias the circuit correctly before the amplifier will work.
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8
nouncountable
The slanting direction across a woven cloth, running between its lengthwise and crosswise threads.
Like the diagonal fold across a square piece of paper.
Cut the fabric along the bias for a stretchier edge.
A skirt cut on the bias drapes beautifully.
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9
nouncountable
A wedge-shaped piece of cloth removed from a garment to make it smaller around.
Like pinching out a fold of cloth to make a baggy shirt fit tighter.
The tailor took a bias out of the waist to make the dress fit.
She sewed a small bias into each side of the bodice.
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10
nouncountable or uncountable
A steady voltage or current put into an electronic part to set how it works.
Like the warm-up setting that gets a machine ready before real use.
The circuit needs the right bias to amplify the signal cleanly.
Too much bias pushed the transistor into the wrong region.
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11
nouncountable or uncountable
Your favorite member of a K-pop group.
Like having a favorite player on a sports team you cheer for most.
Her bias in that group is the lead dancer.
I changed my bias after watching the new music video.
Similarfavorite
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12
nouncountable or uncountable
The built-in lean of a bowls ball that makes it roll in a curve instead of straight.
Like a shopping cart with a bad wheel that always pulls to one side.
She allowed for the bias and the bowl curved neatly to the jack.
A new player often forgets about the bias and rolls wide.
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Practice

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Origin

It came into English around 1520 meaning a slanted line. It comes from a Middle French word 'biais' meaning 'sideways' or 'slanting', which is likely of unclear origin.