factor
noun
fac·tor
| \ ˈfak-tər
\
\
Definition of factor
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: one who acts or transacts business for another: such as
a
: broker sense 1b
b
: one that lends money to producers and dealers (as on the security of accounts receivable)
2a(1)
: one that actively contributes to the production of a result : ingredient
price wasn't a factor in the decision
(2)
: a substance that functions in or promotes the function of a particular physiological process or bodily system
a clotting factor that facilitates blood coagulation
b
: a good or service (such as land, labor, or capital) used in the process of production
3
: gene
4a
: any of the numbers or symbols in mathematics that when multiplied together form a product (see product sense 1)
also
: a number or symbol that divides another number or symbol
b
: a quantity by which a given quantity is multiplied or divided in order to indicate a difference in measurement
costs increased by a factor of 10
factor
verb
factored;
factoring\ ˈfak-t(ə-)riŋ
\
\
Definition of factor (Entry 2 of 2)
: to work as a factor
1
: to resolve into factors
2a
: to include or admit as a factor
—used with in or into factor inflation into our calculations
b
: to exclude as a factor
—used with out
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Other Words from factor
Noun
factorship
\ ˈfak-tər-ˌship
\
noun
\
noun
Verb
factorable
\ ˈfak-t(ə-)rə-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for factor
Synonyms: Noun
agent, assignee, attorney, commissary, delegate, deputy, envoy, minister, procurator, proxy, rep, representative
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Examples of factor in a Sentence
Noun
There were several factors contributing to their recent decline. Poor planning was a major factor in the company's failure. 6, 4, 3, and 2 are factors of 12.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Trey Lubin will be a big factor at free safety and wide receiver. — J.c. Carnahan, orlandosentinel.com, "Class 8A, District 3: district champs Winter Park, Oviedo, Hagerty collide," 22 Aug. 2019 Again, hormones are a big contributing factor here, though experts aren’t sure how. — Natasha Lavender, SELF, "Meet SCAD, a Major Cause of Heart Attacks in Women 50 and Under," 22 Aug. 2019 Barca's performance last week gives little confidence going into Sunday, but the return of Messi will certainly be a crucial factor. — SI.com, "Barcelona vs Real Betis Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 22 Aug. 2019 Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to have been a factor, police said. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Man struck, seriously injured while crossing an Escondido street," 21 Aug. 2019 And that 58 billion tons doesn’t even count the huge calving events or the warm water eating away at the glaciers from below, which may be a huge factor. — Seth Borenstein, Anchorage Daily News, "Earth’s future is being written in fast-melting Greenland," 20 Aug. 2019 And that 58 billion tons doesn’t even count the huge calving events or the warm water eating away at the glaciers from below, which may be a huge factor. — Washington Post, "Earth’s future in being written in fast-melting Greenland," 20 Aug. 2019 However, researchers were unable to find the cause of death for the remains, although hypothesized that the difficult high altitude could have been a factor. — Eric Todisco, PEOPLE.com, "Himalayas' 'Skeleton Lake' Investigated with DNA Testing and the Results Are Weird," 20 Aug. 2019 The new rule specifies that receiving certain benefits will be a disqualifying factor. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 15 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Nary an extra base hit factored in any of the A’s scoring. — Susan Slusser, SFChronicle.com, "Singular win for A’s, their third in a row over Astros," 17 Aug. 2019 Heat indices — what the temperature will feel like with humidity factored in — could reach 115 degrees in the region, the weather service said. — NBC News, "Dangerous heat wave blazes across large parts of Plains, South," 13 Aug. 2019 When factoring in games played, Christian Kirk actually finished with a 21.5% target share in the offense. — Matt Gajewski, SI.com, "Fantasy Football 2019: Wide Receiver Position Primer," 8 Aug. 2019 Once Upon a Time... cost Sony $90 million to make even without factoring in the flashy and extensive marketing campaign. — Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, "‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Overperforms With $40 Million Debut—But Can Its Spell Last?," 29 July 2019 Another pipeline is needed to free producers from factoring the cost of rail transport into prices, says Trevor Tombe of the University of Calgary. — The Economist, "The environmentThe environment is Canada’s biggest wedge issue," 25 July 2019 Saturday afternoon will be the hottest period of the weekend, when temperatures in Hartford could reach 101 degrees that will feel more like 111 degrees with humidity factored in. — Slade Rand, courant.com, "Stifling weather began Friday as state, local leaders geared up for even hotter Saturday temperatures," 19 July 2019 The religious impulse is deeply human and has always factored prominently in our relationship to the cosmos. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "Spaceflight and Spirituality, a Complicated Relationship," 16 July 2019 To keep things believable, costumers factored in the show’s Midwest setting, where not everyone would have been on trend. — John Jurgensen, WSJ, "How ‘Stranger Things’ Whipped Up ’80s Fever," 30 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'factor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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