fraction
Mathematics.
a number usually expressed in the form a/b.
a ratio of algebraic quantities similarly expressed.
Chemistry. (in a volatile mixture) a component whose range of boiling point temperatures allows it to be separated from other components by fractionation.
a part as distinct from the whole of anything; portion or section: The meeting started with a fraction of us present.
a very small part or segment of anything; minute portion: Only a fraction of the work was completed on time.
a very small amount; a little bit: It was only a fraction away from completion.
a piece broken off; fragment or bit.
the act of breaking.
Ecclesiastical. (in a Eucharistic service) the breaking of the Host.
to divide or break into fractions, sections, factions, etc.: Dissension threatens to fraction the powerful union.
Origin of fraction
1synonym study For fraction
Other words from fraction
- sub·frac·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fraction in a sentence
High Frequency Trading (HFT) is a method used by financial institutions whereby stocks are traded in fractions of a second.
Apple claims to have improved the glare problem, but its results would have to be measured in fractions.
5 Reasons I Hate My New MacBook Pro: A Geek’s Critique | Jason Stewart | June 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe last fractions were lighter in color and apparently much purer than the first.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron) | William Anderson SymeThe poison, if precipitated at all by lead acetate, must have gone down in one of the preceding fractions.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron) | William Anderson SymeThe filtrate B (p. 20) from which gallic acid was precipitated by sulphuric acid in four fractions was saved to examine for sugar.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron) | William Anderson Syme
This remedy was that same oyster-shell which is to be prescribed "fractions of the sextillionth or decillionth degree."
Medical Essays | Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.Take a master petroleum chemist, infinitely skilled in the separation of crude oil into its fractions.
The Tunnel Under The World | Frederik Pohl
British Dictionary definitions for fraction
/ (ˈfrækʃən) /
maths
a ratio of two expressions or numbers other than zero
any rational number that is not an integer
any part or subdivision: a substantial fraction of the nation
a small piece; fragment
chem a component of a mixture separated by a fractional process, such as fractional distillation
Christianity the formal breaking of the bread in Communion
the act of breaking
(tr) to divide
Origin of fraction
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fraction
[ frăk′shən ]
A number that compares part of an object or a set with the whole, especially the quotient of two whole numbers written in the form ab. The fraction 12, which means 1 divided by 2, can represent such things as 10 pencils out of a box of 20, or 50 cents out of a dollar. See also decimal fraction improper fraction proper fraction.
A chemical component separated by fractionation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for fraction
A mathematical expression representing the division of one whole number by another. Usually written as two numbers separated by a horizontal or diagonal line, fractions are also used to indicate a part of a whole number or a ratio between two numbers. Fractions may have a value of less than one, as with 1/2, or equal to one, as with 2/2, or more than one, as with 3/2. The top number of a fraction is the numerator and the bottom number is the denominator.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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