26984 words

factor

13 definitions • 24 examples
1
a fact or situation that influences the result of something:

Examples:

contributing factor Heavy snow was a contributing factor in the accident.
factor in Money was an important factor in our decision to relocate.
major factor Price will be a major factor in the success of this new product.
crucial factor Grades are still a crucial factor in determining who gets into which university.
deciding factor The economy is regarded as the deciding factor in the outcome of the election.
key factor Production costs are the key factor in determining price.
feel-good factor informal The film's success is largely due to its feel-good factor (= its ability to make people feel happy).
2
in mathematics, any whole number that is produced when you divide a larger number by another whole number:

Examples:

Two, three, four and six are all factors of twelve.
3
a particular level on some systems of measurement:

Examples:

a wind chill factor of -20
UK a factor 20 suntan cream
4
If an amount becomes larger or smaller by a factor of a particular number, it becomes that number of times larger or smaller:

Examples:

Cases of leukaemia in the area near the nuclear reactor have risen by a factor of four.
5

Examples:

Economic factors had a lot to do with their decision to sell the company.
6
a number or variable (= letter or symbol) that is being multiplied in a product (= result of multiplying):

Examples:

In 6×3=18, 6 and 3 are factors of the product 18.
7
A factor of a product is a number that the product can be divided by exactly.
8
one of several things that affects or influences a situation:

Examples:

Increasing use of online newspapers was definitely a contributing factor to the company's collapse.
a key/significant/major factor
a critical/crucial factor
a deciding/decisive factor
9
a business that buys the right to collect debts for another company and charges for collecting them:

Examples:

Using a factor can be a good way of getting better cashflow.
10
the amount that a number is multiplied or divided by:

Examples:

a factor of 3/10/75, etc. You should reduce your final figures by a factor of three.
11
a company or person that sells goods produced by another company using their own name, usually for payment
12
something special that a product, idea, person, etc. has that makes them successful or makes people notice them:

Examples:

What's missing from this organization is the leadership factor.
Her latest fashion collection certainly has the wow factor.
13
to sell the right to collect payments and debts owed to your company or organization to another business:

Examples:

How many of their operations are factored?
Factoring is just one way of raising capital in the short term.

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