What does "factor" mean?
A doer, maker; a person who does things for another person or organization.
Factor
/ˈfæk.tə/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A doer, maker; a person who does things for another person or organization.
- Grammar: factor is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: component, divisor, adjunct, adjutant.
- Useful contrasts: ignore, math term, mathematical term.
- Usage evidence: What factor contributed to the reaction?
How to use "factor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "factor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "factor" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "factor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "factor" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "factor" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "component" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "factor", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A doer, maker; a person who does things for another person or organization. obsolete
"The factor of the trading post bought the furs."
- 2 (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity wordnet
- 3 An agent or representative; a reseller or distributor (sometimes with a private label); a consignee.
"My factor sends me word, a merchant's fled / That owes me for a hundred tun of wine."
- 4 an independent variable in statistics wordnet
- 5 A commission agent.
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 an abstract part of something wordnet
- 7 A person or business organization that provides money for another's new business venture; one who finances another's business.
- 8 anything that contributes causally to a result wordnet
- 9 A business organization that lends money on accounts receivable or buys and collects accounts receivable.
- 10 a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission wordnet
- 11 One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result.
"The greatest factor in the decision was the need for public transportation."
- 12 any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together wordnet
- 13 Any of various objects multiplied together to form some whole.
"3 is a factor of 12, as are 2, 4 and 6."
- 14 one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer wordnet
- 15 Influence; a phenomenon that affects the nature, the magnitude, and/or the timing of a consequence.
"The launch temperature was a factor of the Challenger disaster."
- 16 A resource used in the production of goods or services, a factor of production.
"The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them[…]is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies.[…]current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate[…]“stateless income”: profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled."
- 17 A steward or bailiff of an estate. Scotland
"the factor was so scrupulous, as to keep the whole thing from his master, the lord chamberlain"
Verb
- 1 To find all the factors of (a number or other mathematical object) (the objects that divide it evenly). transitive
- 2 resolve into factors wordnet
- 3 To rewrite an expression as the product of its factors. transitive
- 4 consider as relevant when making a decision wordnet
- 5 To be a product of other objects. intransitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 be a contributing factor wordnet
- 7 To sell a debt or debts to an agent (the factor) to collect. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"What factor contributed to the reaction?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "factor"?
Common synonyms include: component, divisor, adjunct, adjutant, affecting understanding, agency.
How do you use "factor" in a sentence?
What factor contributed to the reaction?
How do you pronounce "factor"?
Pronounced /ˈfæk.tə/.
Etymology
From Middle French facteur, from Latin factor (“a doer, maker, performer”), from factus (“done or made”), perfect passive participle of faciō (“do, make”).