factor
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Any of the numbers that form a product when multiplied together.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fakterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfæktɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
mathematics
Any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together
mathematics
Any of various objects multiplied together to form some whole.
One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result.
economics
A resource used in the production of goods or services, a factor of production.
An agent or representative; a reseller or distributor (sometimes with a private label); a consignee.
verb
transitive
To rewrite an expression as the product of its factors.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result.
Used this way, factor is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use factor
- “A number of factors determined the outcome.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The resolution of an expression into factors such that when multiplied together they give the original expression.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Something resembling a fact.
Related to Any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together.
As a fact or based on fact.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The ratio of the breaking stress of a structure to the estimated maximum stress in ordinary use.
Consider as relevant when making a decision.
A coagulation factor.
A coagulation factor formed in the kidney under the influence of vitamin K.
A coagulation factor (trade name Hemofil) whose absence is associated with hemophilia A.
Coagulation factor that is converted to an enzyme that converts prothrombin to thrombin in a reaction that depends on calcium ions and other coagulation factors.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The resolution of an expression into factors such that when multiplied together they give the original expression.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.