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mathematics

American  
[math-uh-mat-iks] / ˌmæθ əˈmæt ɪks /

noun

  1. (used with a singular verb) the systematic treatment of magnitude, relationships between figures and forms, and relations between quantities expressed symbolically.

  2. (used with a singular or plural verb) mathematical procedures, operations, or properties.

mathematics British  
/ ˌmæθəˈmætɪks, ˌmæθˈmæt- /

noun

  1. (functioning as singular) a group of related sciences, including algebra, geometry, and calculus, concerned with the study of number, quantity, shape, and space and their interrelationships by using a specialized notation

  2. (functioning as singular or plural) mathematical operations and processes involved in the solution of a problem or study of some scientific field

"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
mathematics Scientific  
/ măth′ə-măt′ĭks /

  1. The study of the measurement, relationships, and properties of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and calculus are branches of mathematics.

mathematics Cultural  

  1. The study of numbers, equations, functions, and geometric shapes (see geometry) and their relationships. Some branches of mathematics are characterized by use of strict proofs based on axioms. Some of its major subdivisions are arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and calculus.

Etymology

Origin of mathematics

1350–1400; Middle English mathematic < Latin mathēmatica ( ars ) < Greek mathēmatikḕ ( téchnē ) scientific (craft), equivalent to mathēmat- (stem of máthēma ) science, knowledge + -ikē, feminine of -ikos -ic; -ics

Explanation

Mathematics is the long word for "math," or the science of numbers and shapes and what they mean. Most people need mathematics everyday to count and measure. Mathematics is technically a plural noun — mathematics include geometry, algebra, and calculus. But in the U.S., the word is usually treated as a singular concept: That's why someone says that mathematics is their favorite subject, not mathematics are their favorite subjects. The word mathematics comes from the Greek word manthanein, meaning "to learn."

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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.

Applied mathematics are used to move around six different audiences in a new version of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

“Access to the classical studies is now instantaneous: literature, science, art, philosophy, mathematics and history.”

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026

It wasn’t until he started to doubt whether he wanted a career in the abstractions of mathematics that he thought of economics as an alternative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Lovelace was taught science and mathematics from a young age, at the insistence of her mother Anne Isabella Milbanke - a rare thing for women at that time.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Even though mathematicians knew that calculus was deeply flawed—thanks to the mathematics of zero and infinity—they quickly embraced the new mathematical tools.

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.