digital

«digital» in Mova's school dictionary: Using electronic signals and computers to store, send or… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adjective (digital); noun use (digital — informal, digital technology)

meaning for a pupil

1) Using electronic signals and computers to store, send or show information as numbers (ones and zeros): «digital camera», «digital TV». tree →

2) Showing information as numbers on a screen rather than with hands or a pointer: «a digital clock». tree →

3) (formal, maths) To do with digits, the numbers 0 to 9. tree →

4) (medical) To do with the fingers or toes. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life and computing lessons, digital means online, electronic, screen-based: digital photos, digital learning, «digital footprint» (the trail of information you leave online). In maths, children read «digital time» like 07:45 and compare it to analogue clocks. In safety lessons «digital safety» means staying safe online. Phrases: «digital clock», «digital camera», «digital footprint», «go digital», «digital world».

examples

• I can read the time on a digital clock. tree →
• We took digital photos on the trip. tree →
• Your digital footprint is everything you post online. tree →
• The library has digital books you can borrow. tree →
• A digital thermometer shows the temperature in numbers. tree →
• Our class learned about digital safety. tree →
• The shop went digital and now sells online. tree →

note

Opposite of «analogue» (US «analog»). In maths, a digital clock may use 24-hour time: 15:30 means 3:30 in the afternoon. The adverb is «digitally». Related noun: «digit», one of 0–9.

In the corpora

• Digital zoom just enlarges pixels and loses detail; getting closer or using a real zoom lens gives sharper pictures.
• A pixel is one tiny dot of a digital picture.
• When someone uses a time word you don't know, ask for the digital time: being right matters more than sounding clever.
• To turn "twenty to ten" into digital, take 20 from 60 to get 40 and use the hour before: 9:40.
• A 24-hour digital clock shows four digits all the same 3 times a day: 00:00, 11:11 and 22:22.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «digital» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.