Definition of factor

Overview of noun factor

The noun factor has 7 senses? (first 4 from tagged texts)

1. (31) factor

(anything that contributes causally to a result; "a number of factors determined the outcome")

2. (8) component, constituent, element, factor, ingredient

(an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech")

3. (4) divisor, factor

(one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer; "what are the 4 factors of 6?")

4. (1) agent, factor, broker

(a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission)

5. factor

(any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together)

6. factor

(an independent variable in statistics)

7. gene, cistron, factor

((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")

Overview of verb factor

The verb factor has 3 senses? (first 1 from tagged texts)

1. (2) factor, factor in, factor out

(resolve into factors; "a quantum computer can factor the number 15")

2. factor

(be a contributing factor; "make things factor into a company's profitability")

3. factor, factor in, factor out

(consider as relevant when making a decision; "You must factor in the recent developments")