factor
noun
1. anything that contributes causally to a result
- a number of factors determined the outcome
Definition categories: event, cause
2. an abstract part of something
- a key factor in her success
Similar word(s): component, constituent, element, ingredient
Definition categories: thought, division, part, section
3. one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer
- what are the 4 factors of 6?
Similar word(s): divisor
Definition categories: quantity, integer
4. a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission
Similar word(s): agent, broker
Definition categories: person, bourgeois, businessperson
5. any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together
Definition categories: quantity, number
6. an independent variable in statistics
Definition categories: thought
7. (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity
- genes were formerly called factors
Similar word(s): cistron, gene
Definition categories: body, sequence
Sentences with factor as a noun:
- The factor of the trading post bought the furs.
- The greatest factor in the decision was the need for public transportation.
- The economy was a factor in this year's budget figures.
- 3 is a factor of 12, as are 2, 4 and 6.
- The factors of the Klein four-group are both cyclic of order 2.
- The launch temperature was a factor of the Challenger disaster.
verb
1. resolve into factors
- a quantum computer can factor the number 15
Definition categories: cognition, calculate, cipher, compute, cypher, figure, reckon
2. be a contributing factor
- make things factor into a company's profitability
Definition categories: possession, add, bestow, bring, contribute, impart, lend
3. consider as relevant when making a decision
- You must factor in the recent developments