noun
fraction
FRAK-shuhn
noun
1
A part of a whole, especially a small one.
"Only a fraction of the applicants were interviewed."
"She finished the race in a fraction of the time she expected."
2
In math, a number written as one number over another, like 3/4, showing a part of a whole.
"The recipe calls for a fraction like 1/2 cup of sugar."
"Students learn to add fractions with different denominators."
How to Use Fraction
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA piece of a whole thing, whether you mean it mathematically (1/2, 3/4) or loosely (a small part of something).
Common pairings
a fraction of
reduce a fraction
in a fraction of a second
Word Forms
fractioned past tense, fractions plural, fractions singular
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Only a _____ of the applicants were interviewed.
Etymology
From Latin fractio ("a breaking"), from frangere ("to break") — the same root as fracture and fragment.