factor

noun

ˈfak-tər How to pronounce factor (audio)
Definition of factornext
1
as in delegate
a person who acts or does business for another at the auction the high bidder for the painting was actually a factor for a wealthy art collector

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in component
one of the parts that make up a whole price was only one factor in my decision to buy the car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of factor Industries may handle their workforces differently based on a variety of factors. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026 The rankings considered factors such as veterinary costs, pet insurance premiums, access to animal shelters, dog parks and pet-friendly trails, walkability, weather and the strength of state animal protection laws. — Evan Moore august 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 Aug. 2026 In general, higher incomes can qualify for and afford larger mortgage payments, assuming other factors, such as credit scores and debt ratios, also meet standard requirements. — Deane Biermeier, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 The main reason for the red headline number was a loss of 53,000 government workers, a development economists say was largely owing to seasonal factors that could get revised away. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for factor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factor
  1. delegate
  2. component
  3. agent
  4. element
  5. representative
  6. ingredient
  7. deputy
  8. member
Noun
  • Kim needed at least two thirds of the 1,000 delegates attending the labor federation’s Oakland convention.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Roughly 1,000 delegates of the California Federation of Labor voted Tuesday to endorse Proposition 40, a one-time, 5% wealth tax on billionaires aimed at addressing looming healthcare cuts.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of delegate
Noun
  • Legislators and industry lobbyists alike are seeing that preemption is a losing issue among voters, making preemption one of the most difficult components of a federal AI package to pass.
    — Caleb Knapp, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Repacking atoms To see how different a material can look and feel depending on how its atoms are packed, think about the element carbon, one of Earth’s most common elements and an important component of all living organisms.
    — Robin Macaluso, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of component
Noun
  • Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers — work increasingly done by AI agents — and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Smaller teams of high-agency engineers and builders are managing fleets of agents rather than executing every task by hand.
    — Michael Wee, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of agent
Noun
  • The introduction of liquid glass has led to larger, more graphical elements that have taken over in terms of clarity and ease of use.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • To explain its results, RealorRender identifies the suspicious regions of images as heatmaps (grids of colored squares indicating intensity, as with topographical maps) and segments of contiguous image elements.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of element
Noun
  • But during Thursday's meeting, representatives for the property owner and developer said the discussion over the mobile home park closing is separate from the annexation, rezoning and variances for the property.
    — Emily McLeod, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • When a Van Leeuwen Ice Cream representative came to look at his space in the center of downtown Burbank in April, a senior city official was there to help woo the brand, said Kurt Kaufman of West Coast Investors, which owns the property.
    — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of representative
Noun
  • Servers are quick to help navigate the offbeat descriptions and ingredients.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Aug. 2026
  • They are required to have the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form, route of administration, and quality standards.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of ingredient
Noun
  • Experts like Chen Gang, the deputy director and senior research fellow at NUS East Asian Institute, are positive that this momentum will lead to long-term gains for Chinese chipmakers.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Because of Micron’s corporate structure, the company needed to take the exemption two times, requiring it to pay on a maximum of $800 million in assessed value, according to Brad Smith, chief deputy at the Ada County Assessor’s Office.
    — Mark Dee August 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of deputy
Noun
  • Low-income riders can enroll in LA Metro’s LIFE Program, where new members get 90 days of unlimited free rides, followed by 20 free rides each month.
    — Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Each of the 31 teams needed to be reoutfitted, along with every member of the athletic department staff, and the old stuff discarded.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of member

Phrases Containing factor

Browse Nearby Words

factoids
factor
factored (in or into)
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Cite this Entry

“Factor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factor. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on factor

Nglish: Translation of factor for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about factor

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