quotient
Americannoun
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quotients
plural
noun
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the result of the division of one number or quantity by another
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the integral part of the result of division
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a ratio of two numbers or quantities to be divided
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of quotient
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English quociens, quocient, from Latin quotiēns “how many times”
Explanation
When you add two numbers the answer is called the sum. When you divide two numbers the answer is called the quotient. The quotient of six divided by two is three. Quotient comes from Latin and means "how many times." That makes a lot of sense: if you divide one number by a second, you are figuring out "how many times" the second number goes into the first. Outside of math, use of the word is restricted: the IQ test is short for "Intelligence Quotient," and very rarely you might hear someone ask, "What's my quotient of cupcakes?" when they mean "What is my share?"
Vocabulary lists containing quotient
Arithmetic
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The Number System
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The ACT Math Test: Number and Quantity
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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.
See Examples For:
As is the company’s way, the surprise-and-delight quotient is high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
But their all-pervading architectural shadow over the city is perhaps why Art Deco is "seeped into the larger public imagination, and remains relevant in Mumbai's emotional quotient", Mr Kumar added.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2025
The British automaker, known for two-seat convertibles with a high coolness quotient, serves this vehicle up with scissor doors and rear haunches that convey power.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2024
Reddit threads help introverts banter like the pros or suggest ways one can boost a conversation’s banter quotient.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
In just over three years of law practice I had become one of those people for whom such small events could make a big difference in my joy quotient.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
People with self-reported low intelligence quotients describe struggling with self-esteem issues and romantic hardships.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2024
Directorial impulses that seem designed to ratchet up the audience-pleasing quotients of some of his most famous plays, but that in one way or another unbalance them and diminish their inherent power.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2022
The task where I rated the patriotic quotients of photographs was posted by an outfit called Vision.
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2019
Consequently, reaction quotients include concentration or pressure terms only for gaseous and solute species.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
She was planning to publish a paper about the effects of Dad’s teaching methods on our intelligence quotients.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
