math
noun
math
1 American
[math]
/ mæθ /
noun
math
2
American
[math]
/ mæθ /
noun
British Dialect.
-
a mowing; a leveling or cutting down of grass, grain, etc., with a mowing machine or scythe.
-
the crop mowed.
math
3
American
[muhth]
/ mʌθ /
Also
matha
noun
math.
4
American
abbreviation
-
mathematical.
-
mathematician.
-
mathematics.
math
1
British
/ mæθ /
noun
math.
2
British
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of math1
First recorded in 1845–50; by shortening
Origin of math2
First recorded before 900; Middle English (bede)-mad, a kind of manorial duty to mow for one's lord, Old English mǣth “mowing, hay harvest”; cognate with German Mahd, Old Frisian mēth, Old Saxon mād(dag) “mowing (day)”; cf. aftermath, mow 1, mow 2
Origin of math3
First recorded in 1825–35; from Hindi maṭh, from Sanskrit maṭha “hut, cottage, cell, monastery”
Explanation
Math is the science of numbers. You may start out learning addition and subtraction in math, and then end up years later tackling multivariable implicit differentiation problems. Say what?! Math is the common, shortened form of mathematics, which comes from the Greek mathematike tekhne, "mathematical science," from the root mathema, "knowledge or science." Math is one of the basic subjects that are covered in nearly every school, from basic addition to calculus. If someone says, "Do the math," they usually mean, "Just think about it — it's so obvious."
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.
See Examples For:
More surprisingly — because its underlying research and math seemed sound — it also received careful and sustained scientific attention.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
"If you auditioned for the play, then you got to skip out math class," he recalled.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In financial-planning software math, a 99% chance of success means that you’re likely to have more money left after you die than you have now.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Black students, for example, made larger-than-average improvements across English, math and science and showed English scoring gains across almost every tested grade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ruby leans over and says, “Shh, don’t cry, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything until you’re ready. There’s a math assignment that I’m trying to avoid, so take your time,” she teases.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“There’s a lot of fun to be had with AI and math. It’s not something that I’ve learned to have fun with yet.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
For instance, researchers can pass the following text to a language model: “Hello, my name is Lucas. I like soccer and math. I have been working on ... for the past few years.”
From Scientific American ● Jun. 15, 2023
“It’s not complicated. It might be hard, but it’s not complicated. That’s just math. It’s the same reason these days we have fewer strangulations with a landline.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
“I don’t know anything about Judaism. But I know math. If you give me a chance, hopefully, you know, the students will like the way I teach.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2022
“I asked Cassie Hiney during math. I wrote her a note.”
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
