bias

noun

• 1prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair:there was evidence of bias against foreign applicants the bias toward younger people in recruitment [in singular]:a systematic bias in favor of the powerful
• [in singular] a concentration on or interest in one particular area or subject:he worked on a variety of Greek topics, with a discernible bias toward philosophy
• Statistics a systematic distortion of a statistical result due to a factor not allowed for in its derivation.

• 2in some sports, such as lawn bowling, the irregular shape given to a ball.
• the oblique course taken by a ball as a result of its irregular shape.

• 3 Electronics a steady voltage, magnetic field, or other factor applied to an electronic system or device to cause it to operate over a predetermined range.

verb (biases, biasing, biased)

• 1 (usually be biased) cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something:readers said the paper was biased toward the conservatives the tests were biased against women and minorities

• 2give a bias to:bias the ball