as in math
the act or process of performing mathematical operations to find a value
I haven't actually done the arithmetic yet, but I suspect we're losing money on the deal
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Recent Examples of arithmetic
The victory completes a Damascene conversion in German politics – using the outgoing parliamentary arithmetic.
—
Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025
This particular bump, as opposed to the previous ones in NBA history, is not driven by simple arithmetic.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 7 Jan. 2025
There was unusual arithmetic that needed to be considered.
—Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
One is to vote in a change to the debt brake (difficult given parliamentary arithmetic — there is talk of doing it in this parliament), declare an emergency ‘event’ that merits high spending as was the case with Covid-19 and it will be argued that President Donald Trump has created a crisis.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arithmetic
Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025
This particular bump, as opposed to the previous ones in NBA history, is not driven by simple arithmetic.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 7 Jan. 2025
There was unusual arithmetic that needed to be considered.
—Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
One is to vote in a change to the debt brake (difficult given parliamentary arithmetic — there is talk of doing it in this parliament), declare an emergency ‘event’ that merits high spending as was the case with Covid-19 and it will be argued that President Donald Trump has created a crisis.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arithmetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arithmetic
Noun
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The course is Duolingo's first since its music and math courses were released in 2023.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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There is nothing radical about helping students understand math or U.S. history.—
David Bloomfield,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The intersection’s layout and activity produced almost 18.8 crashes a year between 2018 and 2022, according to city calculations.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2025
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The data that drives those forecasts informs the calculations for an untold number of property insurance policies in the country, helping to channel billions of dollars in aid to home and business owners in the aftermath of natural disasters.—
Abrahm Lustgarten,
ProPublica,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arithmetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arithmetic. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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