ratio

[ rey-shoh, -shee-oh ]
See synonyms for: ratioratios on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural ra·tios.
  1. the relation between two similar magnitudes with respect to the number of times the first contains the second: the ratio of 5 to 2, written 5:2 or 5/2.

  2. proportional relation; rate: the ratio between acceptances and rejections.

  1. Finance. the relative value of gold and silver in a bimetallic currency system.

  2. Sometimes the ratio . (on Twitter) the proportion of replies to a tweet compared to the combined number of retweets and likes, where a high ratio usually indicates a barrage of negative replies: How is the Twitter ratio any different from other kinds of outraged cybermobs?LOL, then I added the reply, “Don't mind me, I'm just here for the ratio.”

verb (used with object),ra·tioed or ra·tio'd, ra·tio·ing.
  1. (on Twitter) to flood (a tweet or its author) with negative replies such that commenters as a group take control of the momentum and message away from the original poster: Political pundits trying to write provocative and edgy tweets are going to get ratioed sooner or later.

Origin of ratio

1
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin ratiō “reckoning, account, calculation,” equivalent to rat-, past participle of rērī “to believe, think, imagine” + -iō, noun suffix from verb stems; see -tion

Words Nearby ratio

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ratio in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ratio

ratio

/ (ˈreɪʃɪˌəʊ) /


nounplural -tios
  1. a measure of the relative size of two classes expressible as a proportion: the ratio of boys to girls is 2 to 1

  2. maths a quotient of two numbers or quantities: See also proportion (def. 6)

Origin of ratio

1
C17: from Latin: a reckoning, from rērī to think; see reason

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

Scientific definitions for ratio

ratio

[ shō, rāshē-ō′ ]


  1. A relationship between two quantities, normally expressed as the quotient of one divided by the other. For example, if a box contains six red marbles and four blue marbles, the ratio of red marbles to blue marbles is 6 to 4, also written 6:4. A ratio can also be expressed as a decimal or percentage.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for ratio

ratio

[ (ray-shee-oh, ray-shoh) ]


An expression of the relative size of two numbers by showing one divided by the other.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.