significant figures
Britishplural noun
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the figures of a number that express a magnitude to a specified degree of accuracy, rounding up or down the final figure
3.141 59 to four significant figures is 3.142
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the number of such figures Compare decimal place
3.142 has four significant figures
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shortly after the bill’s contents were released on Wednesday, many significant figures in the college-sports industry offered their thoughts.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
“Preppy dressing is back. The old money vibe is back, the obsession with Carolyn Bessette,” said Alt, who made her name selling apartments that often belonged to artists and other significant figures.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025
One of the Civil War’s most significant figures, Sherman left a legacy of competing narratives over his tactics, particularly the March to the Sea, when he pressed on against the Confederate Army in the South.
From New York Times • May 14, 2024
Charlton is one of the most significant figures in the storied history of Manchester United that the current crop of players are finding it difficult to live up to.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2023
Solve the equation obtaining the values of the roots correct to three significant figures.
From A Review of Algebra by Rivenburg, Romeyn Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
