binary
/ˈbaɪnəri/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbaɪnəri/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbī-nə-rē -ˌner-ē -ˌne-rē/ (ame, mw) · /ˈbaɪ.nər.i/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbaɪ.ner.i/ (ame, ipa)
binary — adjective
1. describing a way of writing numbers in which every value is built from just the
describing a way of writing numbers in which every value is built from just the two digits 0 and 1, used inside computers because each digit can match an electrical on or off signal.
Jin showed his daughter how the letter A becomes 01000001 in binary code.
binary + noun: 'binary code'
Every photo on your phone is stored as a long string of binary digits.
binary + noun: 'binary digits'
The textbook asked the students to convert the number twelve into its binary form.
Old computers from the 1970s could only read binary input from paper tape.
Dilnoza was surprised that her name in binary needed forty zeros and ones.
- base-2
more technical; preferred in maths textbooks
- decimal
the everyday base-10 system using digits 0 to 9
文法句型
binary + noun (code, digit, number, file)
用法筆記
Almost always sits before a noun (binary code, binary digit, binary file, binary number); rarely used after a linking verb in this sense.
常見錯誤
2. made up of, or forcing you to pick between, exactly two opposite categories such
made up of, or forcing you to pick between, exactly two opposite categories such as yes or no, on or off, with no middle ground allowed.
The referendum gave voters a binary choice: leave the union or stay.
binary + noun: 'binary choice'
Dr. Eitan argued that gender is not as binary as the old forms suggest.
predicative use after linking verb
The new app rejects the binary thinking that every food is either healthy or junk.
Pass or fail is a binary system, with no marks for partial credit.
Hiro refused to see the debate in binary terms of right and wrong.
- two-way
plainer, less academic
- dichotomous
very formal; common in academic writing
- either-or
informal; often hyphenated before a noun
- non-binary
rejecting a strict two-category split, especially of gender
- spectrum
noun: a range with many positions between two ends
文法句型
binary + noun (choice, opposition, system)
用法筆記
Often carries a slightly critical tone, suggesting the two-way split is too simple. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about any pair of opposites, not specifically the digits 0 and 1.
常見錯誤
binary — noun
1. the way of counting that computers use, where every number is written using only
the way of counting that computers use, where every number is written using only the digits 0 and 1 instead of the ten digits people normally use.
The teacher asked Citlali to write the number ten in binary on the whiteboard.
preposition pattern: 'in binary'
Computers turn every keystroke into binary before saving it to memory.
object of 'into': 'into binary'
Kenji loves the puzzle of converting his birthday to binary.
The lecturer drew a chart showing how the number five looks in binary.
- base-2
synonymous; more technical and used in maths classes
- decimal
the base-10 system most people use daily
文法句型
in binary
convert (sth) to / into binary
用法筆記
Uncountable; never use 'a binary' or 'binaries' for this meaning. The fixed phrase 'in binary' is the most common pattern.
常見錯誤
2. a way of looking at the world that splits people, ideas, or things into only two
a way of looking at the world that splits people, ideas, or things into only two opposing groups and ignores anything that does not fit neatly into one or the other.
The professor challenged the binary of work and play in modern life.
the binary of X and Y
Many young readers reject the good-or-evil binary in old fairy tales.
X-or-Y + binary
Sociologists often describe the rich-poor binary as too simple for real cities.
Aunt Rosa's stories broke down the binary between the brave hero and the silent woman.
文法句型
a binary of X and Y
the X / Y binary
用法筆記
Common in academic and journalistic writing, almost always with a critical tone arguing the two-way split is too narrow. Distinguish from sense 1: that sense is about numbers; this sense is about ideas or social categories.
常見錯誤
3. a pair of stars locked together by gravity, so that each one circles around the
a pair of stars locked together by gravity, so that each one circles around the other instead of moving on its own through space.
Through her telescope, Mei spotted a faint binary near the constellation Cygnus.
countable: 'a binary'
The star Sirius is actually a binary, with a tiny white dwarf as its partner.
predicative: 'is a binary'
Astronomers at the observatory tracked the slow dance of a distant binary for ten years.
Children at the planetarium learned that many stars in the night sky are really binaries.
- double star
everyday term used in popular astronomy
- binary system
fuller technical phrase
文法句型
a binary
binary star / binary system
用法筆記
Astronomy term, often expanded to 'binary star' or 'binary system'. Countable, with a regular plural 'binaries'.