Definition of “factor” - English Dictionary

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“factor” in English

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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).

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

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

(Definition of “factor” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“factor” in American English

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factornoun

us ​ /ˈfæk·tər/

factor noun (SITUATION)

› [ C ] a fact or situation that influences a result:

Economic factors had a lot to do with their decision to sell the company.

factor noun (NUMBER)

› [ C ] algebra a number or variable (= letter or symbol) that is being multiplied in a product (= result of multiplying):

In 6×3=18, 6 and 3 are factors of the product 18.

› [ C ] algebra A factor of a product is a number that the product can be divided by exactly.

(Definition of “factor” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“factor” in Business English

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factornoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ˈfæktər/ us ​

› one of several things that affects or influences a situation:

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

› also invoice factor FINANCE a business that buys the right to collect debts for another company and charges for collecting them:

Using a factor can be a good way of getting better cashflow.

› the amount that a number is multiplied or divided by:

a factor of 3/10/75, etc. You should reduce your final figures by a factor of three.

› COMMERCE a company or person that sells goods produced by another company using their own name, usually for payment

the . . . factor

› something special that a product, idea, person, etc. has that makes them successful or makes people notice them:

What's missing from this organization is the leadership factor.
Her latest fashion collection certainly has the wow factor.

See also

adjustment factor
critical success factor
feelgood factor
hygiene factor
load factor
motivator factor
weighting factor

factorverb [ T ]

uk ​ /ˈfæktər/ us ​

› FINANCE to sell the right to collect payments and debts owed to your company or organization to another business:

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

Phrasal verb(s)

factor sth in

(Definition of “factor” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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