denominator

[ dih-nom-uh-ney-ter ]

/ dɪˈnɒm əˌneɪ tər /

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noun

Arithmetic. that term of a fraction, usually written under the line, that indicates the number of equal parts into which the unit is divided; divisor.Compare numerator (def. 1).

something shared or held in common; standard.

Archaic. a person or thing that denominates.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of denominator

1535–45; <Medieval Latin dēnōminātor, equivalent to Latin dēnōminā(re) (see denominate) + -tor-tor

Words nearby denominator

denominate number, denomination, denominational, denominationalism, denominative, denominator, denotation, denotative, denote, denoting, denotive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use denominator in a sentence

The denominator was 7,381 because that was the sum of the smallest set of integers satisfying the ratios in the problem.
Can You Guess The Mystery Word?|Zach Wissner-Gross|January 29, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
If the number of actual cases stays flat and you test more, you would expect the positivity rate to decrease essentially because the denominator is getting bigger.
5 graphs that show how bad COVID-19 is in LA County|Sara Chodosh|January 26, 2021|Popular-Science
Numbers with large powers of p in the numerators are small, and numbers with larger powers of p in the denominators are large.
An Infinite Universe of Number Systems|Kelsey Houston-Edwards|October 19, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Part of the goal of the Covid-19 dashboard has been to figure out those denominators in order to draw conclusions about prevalence and risk.
10 facts about school reopenings in the Covid-19 pandemic|Anna North|October 1, 2020|Vox

That was the numerator for our probability, while the denominator was N3.
Can You Break A Very Expensive Centrifuge?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 18, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
We kind of reduce things to the lowest common denominator, in some ways for good and in some ways not for good.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The common denominator in the most violent protests against Western actions has been when Islam had been insulted.
Why the Muslim World Isn’t Flipping Out Over the CIA Torture Report|Dean Obeidallah|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is already a damning common denominator between the two shootings: the Cleveland police department itself.
The Cleveland Cops Who Fired 137 Shots and Cried Victim|Michael Daly|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lowest common denominator campaigning and dumb pandering in this country dates back to at least the presidential election of 1800.
Wanted: More Devious Politicians|Nancy Kaffer|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Let others construct an unchallenging feminism that speaks only to the smallest common denominator,” she writes.
Laurie Penny’s In-Your-Face Feminism|Rachel Hills|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Being a universal common denominator of all theories, it cancels out of all of them alike.
Essays in Experimental Logic|John Dewey
In a fortuitous assembly of such people the lowest common denominator of morality is easily adopted as the standard.
The Law and the Poor|Edward Abbott Parry
Impenetrable wilderness—reduced to a common denominator, thick woods.
Tom Slade on the River|Percy K. Fitzhugh
She is a type, an abstraction, a common denominator of ‘creamy English girls.’
Theodore Watts-Dunton|James Douglas
You cannot get a financial common denominator and apply it to armaments.
Essays in Liberalism|Various

British Dictionary definitions for denominator

denominator

/ (dɪˈnɒmɪˌneɪtə) /

noun

the divisor of a fraction, as 8 in 7/8Compare numerator (def. 1)

archaic a person or thing that denominates or designates

Collins 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 denominator

denominator

[ dĭ-nŏm′ə-nā′tər ]

The number below or to the right of the line in a fraction, indicating the number of equal parts into which one whole is divided. For example, in the fraction 27, 7 is the denominator.

Cultural definitions for denominator

denominator

[ (di-nom-uh-nay-tuhr) ]

In mathematics, the number that appears on the bottom of a fraction. In the fraction 2/3, the denominator is 3. (Compare numerator.)

denominator

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Origin of denominator

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British Dictionary definitions for denominator

Scientific definitions for denominator

Cultural definitions for denominator