factor

noun

ˈfak-tər How to pronounce factor (audio)
Definition of factornext
1
as in delegate
a person who acts or does business for another at the auction the high bidder for the painting was actually a factor for a wealthy art collector

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in component
one of the parts that make up a whole price was only one factor in my decision to buy the car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of factor The HBCUs’ ratings are hurt by, among other factors, relatively low rates of graduation and retention (the percentage of students who return after their first year). — Asia Alexander, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 If your 25 mpg trips included long stretches at a steady 60 mph, that is probably the biggest factor. — John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026 That’s a notable move for the yield, which moves higher when investors’ expectations for inflation, economic growth and other factors in upcoming years are rising. — Stan Choe, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026 The depth of thaw, which can vary from one day to the next, is another factor. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for factor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factor
  1. delegate
  2. component
  3. agent
  4. element
  5. representative
  6. ingredient
  7. deputy
  8. member
Noun
  • The festival expects more than 5,000 delegates and 1,000-plus filmmakers and artists.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • And it must be checked continuously as the agent acts, transacts, and delegates.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of delegate
Noun
  • Legislators and industry lobbyists alike are seeing that preemption is a losing issue among voters, making preemption one of the most difficult components of a federal AI package to pass.
    — Caleb Knapp, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Repacking atoms To see how different a material can look and feel depending on how its atoms are packed, think about the element carbon, one of Earth’s most common elements and an important component of all living organisms.
    — Robin Macaluso, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of component
Noun
  • Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers — work increasingly done by AI agents — and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Smaller teams of high-agency engineers and builders are managing fleets of agents rather than executing every task by hand.
    — Michael Wee, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of agent
Noun
  • The introduction of liquid glass has led to larger, more graphical elements that have taken over in terms of clarity and ease of use.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • To explain its results, RealorRender identifies the suspicious regions of images as heatmaps (grids of colored squares indicating intensity, as with topographical maps) and segments of contiguous image elements.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of element
Noun
  • The deadline comes through a provision in the state budget that requires any municipality whose representative voted to end the project to repay $60 million that was spent on preliminary design and engineering.
    — DJ Simmons August 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Nurses will also be at all schools to monitor students' health concerns, and district representatives are going door-to-door to check on affected students.
    — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of representative
Noun
  • Servers are quick to help navigate the offbeat descriptions and ingredients.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Aug. 2026
  • They are required to have the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form, route of administration, and quality standards.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of ingredient
Noun
  • Experts like Chen Gang, the deputy director and senior research fellow at NUS East Asian Institute, are positive that this momentum will lead to long-term gains for Chinese chipmakers.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Because of Micron’s corporate structure, the company needed to take the exemption two times, requiring it to pay on a maximum of $800 million in assessed value, according to Brad Smith, chief deputy at the Ada County Assessor’s Office.
    — Mark Dee August 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of deputy
Noun
  • That’s the understatement of the day from a Neighborhood Planning Unit member talking about the Formula 1 racing event that will be held on the streets of Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood this Saturday.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 31 July 2026
  • There are normally no checks at borders between members of the EU’s internal Schengen Area, though they can be introduced for a limited time in exceptional circumstances.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
Definition of member

Phrases Containing factor

Browse Nearby Words

factoids
factor
factored (in or into)
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Cite this Entry

“Factor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factor. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on factor

Nglish: Translation of factor for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about factor

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