bias

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ˈbaɪəs/
• SAMPA: /"baI@s/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

Singular bias

Plural biases or biasses

1. (countable & uncountable) A bias is a preference in one direction that makes things unequal.

   There is strong evidence of a bias towards the death penalty for black rather than white murderers.

   They had plans for an international centre, with a strong political bias.

2. (countable) The bias is the diagonal direction, especially in cloth.

   The neckline was cut on the bias to improve the drape of the fabric.

Synonyms

• prejudice
• diagonal

Verb

Plain form bias

Third-person singular biases

Past tense biased

Past participle biased

Present participle biasing

Plain form bias

Third-person singular biasses

Past tense biassed

Past participle biassed

Present participle biassing

1. (transitive) If you bias something, you unfairly make one result more likely than another.

   Sexism in language biases experience constantly towards the male sex.

   By not providing this information, you bias the results.

Synonyms

• prejudice

Related words

• biased