ratio Hear it!

ratio definition

ra·tio (rā′s̸hō, -s̸hē ō′)

noun pl. ratios -·tios

  1. a fixed relation in degree, number, etc. between two similar things; proportion a ratio of two boys to three girls
  2. Finance the relative value of gold and silver in a currency system based on both
  3. Math. the quotient of one quantity divided by another of the same kind, usually expressed as a fraction

Etymology: L: see reason

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business ratio definition - business

medical ratio definition - medical

ratio Synonyms

ratio

n.

proportion, quota, quotient; see degree 1, rate 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

ratio Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • circumference: Another preoccupation of the Chinese was the evaluation of π , the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Converse of object

  • calculate: A measure of the relative facet areas allows us to calculate a relative surface energy ratio E 001 / E 111 = 1.4.

Adjective modifier

  • price-earnings: It is the inverse of the price-earnings ratio, with a few refinements.

Modifies a noun

  • spectrometer: There are also two new isotope ratio mass spectrometers for in vivo studies of energy and protein metabolism in patients.

Noun used with modifier

  • signal-to-noise: The improvement in image quality is demonstrated in the measured signal-to-noise ratio of flood exposure images.
ratio usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

ratio quotes

Official dignity tends to increase in inverse ratio to the importance of the country in which the office is held.

-Huxley, Aldous Leonard

The quality of moral behaviour varies in inverse ratio to the number of human beings involved.

-Huxley, Aldous Leonard

Population, when unchecked, increases in geometrical ratio. Subsistence only increases in arithmetical ratio.

-Malthus,Thomas Robert

ratio quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"ratio." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/ratio>

APA Style

ratio. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/ratio

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