signal-to-noise ratio

British

noun

the ratio of one parameter, such as power of a wanted signal to the same parameter of the noise at a specified point in an electronic circuit, etc

"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

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.

“The filtering capacities of the lateral line system of the tail could improve the signal-to-noise ratio, avoiding overstimulation of the canal neuromasts.”

From Salon • Feb. 10, 2025

The team developed a photon-level interferometer that accurately records the statistics of photon counting, showcasing a signal-to-noise ratio at the fundamental limit.

From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2024

The signal-to-noise ratio plummets even more, by a factor of nearly 300.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 22, 2023

“They’re not going to give us that unless we’ve shown that this is exactly where to look, this is the signal-to-noise ratio we expect, and so on.”

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2022

Often used derogatorily, for example: "the signal-to-noise ratio in this newsgroup is pretty low."

From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023