ratio
noun
ra·tio
| \ ˈrā-(ˌ)shō
, -shē-ˌō\
, -shē-ˌō\
plural ratios
Definition of ratio
1a
: the indicated quotient of two mathematical expressions
b
: the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things : proportion
2
: the expression of the relative values of gold and silver as determined by a country's currency laws
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Examples of ratio in a Sentence
What is the length-to-width ratio?
the ratio of students to teachers in the school is nine to one
Recent Examples on the Web
The ratios exceed the amount mandated by the Texas Education Agency for elementary schools. — Elliott Lapin, Houston Chronicle, "Huffman ISD school board hires three new elementary school teachers," 31 Aug. 2019 The nurses want lower nurse-to-patient ratios and more security officers at the hospital, among other things. — Lisa Schencker, chicagotribune.com, "University of Chicago Medicine nurses give union the OK to call a strike," 30 Aug. 2019 Ballard would likely to have sacrifice a pick -- or a player -- for Hoyer, whose 48-to-30 TD-INT ratio in regular season games is beyond respectable. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: Looking at backup quarterbacks Colts could acquire in coming days," 30 Aug. 2019 Redwood City is among one of the only cities on the Peninsula without lot coverage limits — also known as floor area ratios — for single-family homes. — Maggie Angst, The Mercury News, "Redwood City tries to stop developers building ‘monster homes’ for maximum profit," 27 Aug. 2019 But amid the mess, there were gems -- fleeting moments where the weird-but-good ratio landed just right. — Tatiana Cirisano, Billboard, "Revisiting 'Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz,' the Underrated Left-Field Album That Challenged Everything," 23 Aug. 2019 The home was erected using steel-joist construction of concrete and metal for outstanding strength-to-weight ratio and high durability. — Mary Wakeford, azcentral, "Couple finds the perfect Victorian home in Peoria. Take a look," 22 Aug. 2019 In the case of S190814bv the crucial mass ratio that might expose the pasta has yet to be determined. — The Economist, "Gravitational astronomy proves its maturity," 22 Aug. 2019 Look at what's on the plate, and look at the ratio. — Halley Bondy, NBC News, "Nutritionist Maya Feller's 5 best health tips for women of color," 21 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ratio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ratio
ratio
noun
English Language Learners Definition of ratio
: the relationship that exists between the size, number, or amount of two things and that is often represented by two numbers
See the full definition for ratio in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ratio
noun
ra·tio
| \ ˈrā-shō
, -shē-ˌō\
, -shē-ˌō\
plural ratios
Kids Definition of ratio
: the relationship in number or quantity between two or more things
the ratio of teachers to students
ratio
noun
ra·tio
| \ ˈrā-(ˌ)shō, -shē-ˌō
\
\
plural ratios
Medical Definition of ratio
: the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things — see sex ratio
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