statistic

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noun sta·tis·tic \ stə-ˈtis-tik \

Definition of statistic

1 :a single term or datum in a collection of statistics

2 a :a quantity (such as the mean of a sample) that is computed from a sample; specifically :estimate 3b

b :a random variable that takes on the possible values of a statistic

See statistic defined for English-language learners

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Examples of statistic in a Sentence

One statistic that stuck out is that 40 percent of those surveyed did not have college degrees.

Recent Examples of statistic from the Web

But according to a Los Angeles County statistic cited in the book Decade of Betrayal: Mexican Repatriation in the 1930s, more than 60% of those deported were U.S. citizens.

— araceli cruz, Teen Vogue, "Mexican Repatriation During the Great Depression, Explained," 30 Aug. 2017
STEM lessons are designed around the physics and statistics of golf.

— paul rogers, New York Times, "A Golf Center Grows in Harlem," 25 Aug. 2017
And here is another statistic that will rattle your cage - more than 4 percent of American workers will have spent time in a state or federal prison at some point in their lives.

— neil senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Get outside the bubble and see some inspiration," 21 Aug. 2017
On July 10, a 19-year-old male overdosed on heroin in New Lenox, according to the coroner's statistics.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "New Lenox police offer addicts a 'Second Chance'," 21 Aug. 2017
After all, what would be the point of statistics if not to demonstrate that something causes something else?

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "Think Correlation Never Implies Causation? Not So Fast," 18 Aug. 2017
To see the crime statistics for all 125 City of San Diego areas, go to tinyurl.com/SDcrimes.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Rancho Bernardo crime trends show improvement," 17 Aug. 2017
Ellman has more than 20 years of experience working in manufacturing, and earned a master's degree in applied statistics.

— Naperville Sun, "Naperville woman announces primary run for Connelly Senate seat," 16 Aug. 2017
Using information sourced from the U.S. Department of Education, college statistics, and student reviews, Niche considered categories including classrooms, labs, performance venues, housing, food, and recreational facilities.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "The 10 Best College Campuses Across America," 10 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of statistic

singular of statistics

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1817

See Words from the same year

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

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

STATISTIC Defined for English Language Learners

statistic

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noun

Definition of statistic for English Language Learners

: a number that represents a piece of information (such as information about how often something is done, how common something is, etc.)
statistics : a type of mathematics that deals with the study of statistics

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See words that rhyme with statistic Spanish Central: Translation of statistic Nglish: Translation of statistic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of statistic for Arabic speakers

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