factornoun [ C ]
uk/ˈfæk.tər/us/ˈfæk.tɚ/factor noun [ C ] (FACT)
B2 a fact or situation that influences the result of something:
People's voting habits are influenced by political, social and economic factors.
Heavy snow was a contributing factor in the accident.
Price will be a major/crucial factor in the success of this new product.
The economy is regarded as the decisive/key factor in the outcome of the election.
informal The movie's success is largely due to its feel-good factor (= its ability to make people feel happy).
More examples
- Diet and exercise can influence a person's weight, but heredity is also a factor.
- Smoking is a causative factor in the development of several serious diseases, including lung cancer.
- Too little exercise is a contributory factor in heart disease.
- The environmental argument was a deciding factor.
- We need to take a lot of factors into account in our decision-making.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Causing things to happen
- -ization
- -ize
- actuation
- agent
- awaken (sth) in sb
- be associated with sth
- beget
- draw
- equal
- fuel
- instigate
- instigator
- introduce
- lie
- plant
- rise
- usher
- usher sth in
- wreak
- wrought
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factor noun [ C ] (NUMBER)
specialized mathematics in mathematics, any whole number that is produced when you divide a larger number by another whole number:
Two, three, four and six are all factors of twelve.
a particular level on some systems of measurement:
a wind chill factor of -20
UK a factor 20 suntan cream
by a factor of
If an amount becomes larger or smaller by a factor of a particular number, it becomes that number of times larger or smaller:
Cases of leukaemia in the area near the nuclear reactor have risen by a factor of four.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Terms for numbers
- additive inverse
- aliquot
- common denominator
- common factor
- common multiple
- cos
- exponent
- fivefold
- fold
- fortyfold
- fourfold
- GCF
- hundredfold
- odd
- recurring number
- remainder
- resultant
- sevenfold
- seventyfold
- weighting
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Measurements in general
Addition, subtraction, multiplication & division