ratio

noun ra·tio \ ˈrā-(ˌ)shō , -shē-ˌō \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: ratio in a Sentence

Definition of ratio

plural ratios

1 a : the indicated quotient of two mathematical expressions

b : the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things : proportion

2 : the expression of the relative values of gold and silver as determined by a country's currency laws

See ratio defined for English-language learners

See ratio defined for kids

Examples of ratio in a Sentence

What is the length-to-width ratio?
the ratio of students to teachers in the school is nine to one

Recent Examples of ratio from the Web

This ratio has been proposed in the context of successful marriages, and the researchers imply that, similarly, some degree of conflict is likely healthy in the OR.

— orly nadell farber, STAT, "‘You, me, parking lot!’: Behind surgical curtain, researchers find hierarchies and gender dynamics driving conflict," 2 July 2018
He mentally aligned years of memories of Spam’s taste, texture and aroma with countless hours of hands-on experience to estimate the ratios of cooked pork to other ingredients for a recipe.

— ali bouzari, SFChronicle.com, "Housemade: The magic of Liholiho Yacht Club," 22 June 2018
In San Francisco, perhaps the most restricted American metropolitan area, this ratio is eight to one.

— The Economist, "In praise of gentrification," 21 June 2018
According to the study, the ratio of neurons to brain size in most carnivores was nearly equivalent to herbivores.

— elly belle, Teen Vogue, "Study Says Dogs Are Actually Smarter Than Cats," 18 June 2018
Asset allocation: What is the optimal ratio of stocks, bonds, real estate investment trusts, alternates and cash in a portfolio?

— barry ritholtz, latimes.com, "Ranking the factors that help or hurt your investment returns," 14 June 2018
The ratio of cheese to sauce should be even, neither shouting over the other.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "What’s the Best New York Slice? I Ate at 30 Pizza Joints to Find Out," 6 June 2018
At the moment, multiple humans are often needed to control a single drone, and new algorithms increasing autonomy for drones could greatly change this ratio.

— Fox News, "F-22s and F-35s will launch recoverable gremlins attack drones," 11 May 2018
The Bank of Canada said credit growth has moderated and the debt-to-income ratio for Canadian households is edging lower.

— kim mackrael, WSJ, "Bank of Canada Raises Key Interest Rate to 1.50%," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ratio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ratio

Latin, computation, reason — more at reason

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1660

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

ratio Synonyms

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

RATIO Defined for English Language Learners

ratio

noun

Definition of ratio for English Language Learners

: the relationship that exists between the size, number, or amount of two things and that is often represented by two numbers

RATIO Defined for Kids

ratio

noun ra·tio \ ˈrā-shō , -shē-ˌō \

Definition of ratio for Students

plural ratios

: the relationship in number or quantity between two or more things

the ratio of teachers to students

Medical Dictionary

ratio

noun ra·tio \ ˈrā-(ˌ)shō, -shē-ˌō \

medical Definition of ratio

plural ratios

: the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things — see sex ratio

Learn More about ratio

See words that rhyme with ratio Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ratio Spanish Central: Translation of ratio Nglish: Translation of ratio for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ratio for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ratio

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ratio

Definition of ratio

Examples of ratio in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ratio from the Web

Origin and Etymology of ratio

ratio Synonyms

Synonyms

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Related Words

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

RATIO Defined for English Language Learners

ratio

Definition of ratio for English Language Learners

RATIO Defined for Kids

ratio

Definition of ratio for Students

Medical Dictionary

ratio

medical Definition of ratio

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