To state or to describe something or someone precisely and with clarity: In her speech, the professor sought to define her position regarding the recent riots in the cities.

Efforts are being made to define words with greater understanding without using another form of the entry in the definitions; for example, some dictionaries define transposition as follows:

1. The act of transposing.

2. The state of being transposed.

3. Something that has been transposed.

Wouldn't the defining of the word be more comprehensible if it were to say the following?

1. Something that has been moved into a different position or order.

2. An action that has been changed or used in a some other place or situation.