exponential function
Americannoun
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the function y = ex .
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any function of the form y = bax , where a and b are positive constants.
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any function in which a variable appears as an exponent and may also appear as a base, as y = x 2x .
Etymology
Origin of exponential function
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
At wide-open throttle, the raunchiness doesn’t come in wild quanta but in one smoothly linear, incredibly steep exponential function, with no interval for tactility and feedback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Recall that an exponential function is any equation written in the form such that and are positive numbers and Any positive number can be written as for some value of .
From Textbooks ● Sep. 23, 2020
This is the shape we expect from an exponential function where a > 1.
From Textbooks ● May 6, 2020
As we studied the exponential function, we saw that it is one-to-one as its graphs pass the horizontal line test.
From Textbooks ● May 6, 2020
The supreme factor is the use of the mind—the exponential function of time—the time-binding energy of man.
From Manhood of Humanity. by Alfred Korzybski
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.
