noun
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any rational number that can be expressed as the sum or difference of a finite number of units, being a member of the set …–3, –2, –1, 0, 1, 2, 3…
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an individual entity or whole unit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of integer
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin: “untouched, undivided, whole, fresh,” equivalent to in- negative prefix + -teg- (combining form of tag-, root of tangere “to touch”) + -er adjective suffix; see in- 3
Compare meaning
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Explanation
Integer is a math term for a number that is a whole number. In the equation 2 + 1/2, the number 2 is the integer and 1/2 is the fraction. Integer comes from a 16th century Latin word meaning "whole" or "intact." For a number to be considered an integer, it must be whole — no fractions or decimals here. An integer can be positive or negative. The numbers 0, 1, 2, -1, and -2 are all examples of integers.
Vocabulary lists containing integer
Pi Day Vocabulary
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Arithmetic
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The Number System
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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.
Quantum systems’ disruptive potential lies in their ability to execute Shor’s algorithm, or find the prime factors of an integer in polynomial time.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Accordingly, in the White House video, a +100 integer flashes on-screen when a mortar shell connects with its target, as if the president himself were landing trick shots on his Twitch stream.
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026
The brain's bias toward simple integer ratios may have evolved as a natural error-correction system that makes it easier to maintain a consistent body of music, which human societies often use to transmit information.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024
In the mid-1990s mathematician Andrew Wiles was able to prove that if n > 2, this simple equation has no integer solutions for a, b or c.
From Scientific American • Jul. 28, 2023
It is an even number, and it is the integer that precedes one.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
