integer

noun

in·​te·​ger ˈin-ti-jər 

1

: any of the natural numbers, the negatives of these numbers, or zero

2

: a complete entity

Synonyms

• digit
• figure
• number
• numeral
• numeric
• whole number

Examples of integer in a Sentence

Both 10 and -10 are integers.

three is a positive integer

Recent Examples on the Web

This proves a simple fact of number theory: For every integer n, $latex \frac{n(n-1)}{2}$ is an integer. —Patrick Honner, Quanta Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024

This depends on integers instead just because of the architecture depends on it. —Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2024

The edges of tiles in Penrose tilings don’t fall at regular intervals, so specifying their distribution requires continuous real numbers rather than discrete integers. —Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 17 Mar. 2024

In the graphic the researchers produced (below), a grid pattern starts to emerge in the upper right, showcasing the particular density of results around specific whole integers, a telltale sign of human manipulation. —Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024

Labor is largely about math, but a person isn't a number, and no one appreciates being treated simply as an unnamed integer. —Anne Lackey, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Gauss conjectured the prime number theorem (a crucial formula that describes how the primes are distributed among the integers) a century before it was actually proved. —Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024

Lenstra next imagined all the integers as an infinite set of grid points, known in mathematics as a lattice. —Quanta Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024

Fortunately, mathematics also offers other ways of discerning whether a number is an integer, irrational or even transcendental. —Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, adjective, whole, entire — more at entire entry 1

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

integer

noun

in·​te·​ger ˈint-i-jər 

: a number that is a natural number (as 1, 2, or 3), the negative of a natural number, or 0

called also whole number