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:
For many, the math did not work out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
“It really does start to pay for itself when you start doing the math, looking into the numbers and saying, ‘Hey, how much value am I getting out of getting this credit card?’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Find a planning tool that shows you safe withdrawal rates and a probability of success — the same Monte Carlo math an adviser would run.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
We did the math over a 30-year period, and it’s not even close.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
I think of Avery in the treehouse, scrambling to do math problems before tutoring.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“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
“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
“It’s simple math. As we seek crowding solutions, support increasing ridership, and work to extend service, the equation of doing more with less no longer works.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022
“Yeah, I wrote it this morning in math. When you’re weak on effort, it helps to be big on heart.”
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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.
