bell curve

noun

plural bell curves
: the symmetrical bell-shaped curve of a normal distribution : normal curve
Along the hilly slopes of the bell curve, most values—the data points that track whatever is being measured—are clustered around the middle. The average value is also the most common value.David A. Shaywitz

Examples of bell curve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The book is set in Apex City, a far-future Bangalore that’s stratified along a bell curve, where humanity is shaped by algorithms and a corporation’s push for productivity. Erika Swyler, People.com, 13 Jan. 2025 My appreciation of great players — and the finite nature of their careers — has come to me in a bell curve. Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 2 Aug. 2024 Sleep duration, like most behaviors, follows a bell curve. Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024 In the middle part of the bell curve, The Ending seemed to loom ominously over everything. Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 2 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bell curve 

Word History

Etymology

from the shape

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bell curve was in 1919

Dictionary Entries Near bell curve

Cite this Entry

“Bell curve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bell%20curve. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bell curve

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!