proportion

noun (AMOUNT)

/prəˈpɔː.ʃən/

/-ˈpɔːr-/

Definition

C1 [C, + sing/pl verb] the number or amount of a group or part of something when compared to the whole: Children make up a large proportion of the world's population. A higher proportion of women now smoke than used to be the case. The report shows that poor families spend a larger proportion of their income on food.Numerical relationships C2 [S or U] the number, amount, or level of one thing when compared to another: The proportion of women to men at my college was about five to one. The chart shows how weight increases in proportion to height (= the increase in weight depends on the increase in height). The level of crime in an area is almost always in direct proportion to the number of unemployed.Numerical relationships

(Definition of proportion noun (AMOUNT) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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