numerator
Americannoun
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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.
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a person or thing that numbers.
noun
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maths the dividend of a fraction Compare denominator
the numerator of is 7
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a person or thing that numbers; enumerator
Etymology
Origin of numerator
1535–45; < Late Latin numerātor a counter, numberer, equivalent to Latin numerā ( re ) to number + -tor -tor
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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."
Vocabulary lists containing numerator
Arithmetic
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Number and Operations: Fractions
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Numbers and Arithmetic
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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.
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
Make sure to always attach these units to both the numerator and denominator when they are provided to you.
From Textbooks • Sep. 23, 2020
The shorthand method for this test is thus to be sure that the larger of the two sample variances is placed in the numerator to calculate the test statistic.
From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017
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
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.
