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
And you can’t really do this with back-of-the-envelope math.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
In math, Compton students show a 46.5% proficiency rate, up 5.4 percentage points.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The deluge included AI solutions to more than 300 problems across number theory, algebraic geometry and other fields with names that could give anyone haunted by high-school math a migraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
“For the homework. I never thanked you for bringing it over. I ended up taking the math quiz today because I’ve been out all week.”
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
“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
“I know a lot of kids here are really bad at math and struggle with math. And they’re kind of being forced into a class that I’m not sure it’s gonna help them succeed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024
Although these ambitious sections would have benefited from more explicit transitions, Cheng's affable style carries her central message through to the end: “You didn't fail math. Math failed you.”
From Scientific American ● Jun. 20, 2023
“I’m a lawyer. I don’t like math. I don’t do math.”
From New York Times ● May 31, 2023
“It’s like math. We have to learn the principles first. I’m up to it. Are you?”
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
