take an average

USAGE SUMMARY

"take an average" is a correct and commonly used phrase in written English.
It means to calculate the average of a set of numbers or data. Example: "To determine the average age of our employees, we will need to take an average of their ages."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

We then take an average of these spatial-averaged seismograms; the finally obtained result is termed the "synthetic mean wave".

Earth, Planets and Space

Take an average kitchen.

The New York Times - Science

Take an average".

The New York Times - Arts

Treatments take an average of 30 months.

The New York Times

Take an average player, let's say who's ranked 50.

The New York Times

Men take an average of one-and-a-half.

The Economist

They take an average of 700 days to process.

The New York Times

Also, I take an average value for the latest four frequencies, which make it more accurate.

Cornell University

Columbia students usually take an average of 16 points (generally five classes) per semester.

Columbia University

Students take an average of five years to complete the program.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

You can take an average of any string of digits in pi.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Be specific about what you are averaging. For instance, instead of saying "take an average", specify "take an average of the last three months' sales figures".

Common error

Avoid assuming that the average represents every individual data point. An average can mask significant variations within the data set. Always consider the range and distribution alongside the average.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "take an average" functions as a verb phrase that describes the action of calculating the average of a set of values. Ludwig confirms its correct usage, providing numerous examples where it's used to describe the process of finding a central tendency in data.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

25%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "take an average" is a grammatically sound and frequently used expression for calculating the central tendency of a dataset. As Ludwig AI confirms, it appears across diverse contexts, including News & Media, Science, Academia, and general writing. While alternatives like "calculate the mean" or "determine the average" exist, "take an average" maintains a neutral register suitable for broad application. When using the phrase, remember to be mindful of the data's distribution and avoid over-relying on the average as the sole representation of the data set.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

calculate the mean

This alternative is more mathematically precise and suitable for technical contexts.

determine the average

This alternative is a more formal way of expressing the same idea.

find the mean value

This alternative emphasizes the act of discovering the central tendency.

average out

This is a more concise, phrasal verb form.

compute the average

This option is suitable for a technical context.

get an average

This alternative emphasizes obtaining a mean value.

work out the average

Common in British English, this suggests a slightly more involved calculation.

obtain the mean

Similar to "determine the average", but uses "obtain" instead of determine.

generalize an average

It implies extending the average result.

consider the average

This focuses on using the average as a point of reference or consideration.

FAQs

How can I use "take an average" in a sentence?

You can use "take an average" when you need to find a typical or central value from a set of numbers. For example, "To find the typical spending per customer, we need to "take an average" of all transaction amounts."

What's a more formal alternative to "take an average"?

A more formal alternative to "take an average" would be "calculate the mean" or "determine the average", especially in scientific or technical contexts.

What does "take an average" mean?

"Take an average" means to calculate a single number that represents the central value of a set of numbers. This is often done to simplify data or to identify trends.

When is it not appropriate to "take an average"?

It might not be appropriate to "take an average" if the data set contains extreme outliers or if the data is not normally distributed, as the average may not accurately reflect the typical value. In such cases, other measures like the median might be more suitable.