numerator

American  

[noo-muh-rey-ter, nyoo-] / ˈnu məˌreɪ tər, ˈnju- /

noun

• numerators
  plural

1. Arithmetic. the term of a fraction, usually above the line, that indicates the number of equal parts that are to be added together; the dividend placed over a divisor.

   The numerator of the fraction 2/3 is 2.

2. a person or thing that numbers.

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numerator British  

/ ˈnjuːməˌreɪtə /

noun

1. maths the dividend of a fraction Compare denominator

   the numerator of is 7

2. a person or thing that numbers; enumerator

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numerator Scientific  

/ no̅o̅′mə-rā′tər /

1. A number written above or to the left of the line in a common fraction to indicate the number of parts of the whole. For example, 2 is the numerator in the fraction 2/7.

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numerator Cultural  

1. In mathematics, the number that appears on the top of a fraction. In the fraction 2/3, the numerator is 2. (Compare denominator.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• numerators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of numerator

1535–45; < Late Latin numerātor a counter, numberer, equivalent to Latin numerā ( re ) to number + -tor -tor

Compare meaning

How does numerator compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• numerator vs. denominator

Explanation

In math, the top number in a fraction is called the numerator. The numerator is the number that will be divided by the bottom number, or denominator. A common fraction looks like two numbers, one above the other, with a line between the numerator and denominator. One simple way to understand a fraction is to imagine a pizza. The denominator shows you how many equal pieces the pizza is divided into, and the numerator represents how many of those pieces you have. In Latin, numerator means "counter or numberer."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

numerator numerators

Staff excluded from the efficacy calculation patients who had RP1 injected in all of their tumors, but only from the numerator and not denominator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Their concern, however, stems from the level of the numerator rather than the sustainability of the denominator.

From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025

Note that the plunging ratio tells us nothing about the U.S. economy, since the economy affects both the numerator and the denominator of the ratio and therefore has no net effect on its level.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2025

You can factor the numerator and denominator to see if any of the terms can cancel one another out.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

All of these expressions, but especially 0/0, could take on any value you desire them to have, depending on the functions you put in the numerator and denominator.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

But you have so many numerators in this case that need to be overhauled, need to be fixed.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2022

To add or subtract rational expressions with a common denominator, add or subtract the numerators and place the result over the common denominator.

From Textbooks ● May 6, 2020

The numerators or denominators of some fractions contain fractions themselves.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 22, 2020

We introduced rational numbers, which are just fractions where the numerators and denominators are integers, and the denominator is not zero.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 22, 2020

The numerator of the third is the sum of the numerators of the first and second, its denominator, the sum of the two denominators.

From Outlines of Lessons in Botany, Part I; from Seed to Leaf by Jane H. Newell

Related Words

• figure
• statistic
• sum
• total