From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfactorfac‧tor1 /ˈfæktə $ -ər/ ●●● S3 W1 AWL noun [countable] 1 cause/influenceCAUSE one of several things that influence or cause a situation The rise in crime is mainly due to social and economic factors.factor in The vaccination program has been a major factor in the improvement of health standards.important/major/key/crucial factor The weather could be a crucial factor in tomorrow’s game.deciding/decisive/determining factor (=the most important factor) We liked both houses, but price was the deciding factor.2 level on a scaleTM a particular level on a scale that measures how strong or effective something is factor 15 suntan oil Even in July the wind chill factor (=the degree to which the air feels colder because of the wind) can be intense.3 → by a factor of five/ten etc4 mathematics technicalHMN a number that divides into another number exactly 3 is a factor of 15.COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + factoran important factorHuman influence has been an important factor as regards climate change.a major/minor factor (=the most or least important of several factors)The country’s huge mineral reserves are a major factor behind its economic strength.a key/crucial factor (=a very important factor)A key factor in a company’s success is knowing its customers.the deciding factor (=the reason for making a particular choice)The closeness of the river was probably the deciding factor when the site was chosen.the decisive/determining factor (=the one that has the biggest effect)The support of middle-income voters was the decisive factor in the election.a contributing factor (=one that helps to make something happen)Stress is a contributing factor in many illnesses.economic factorsEconomic factors limit our options.environmental factorsVarious environmental factors affect the growth of grapes.social factorsSocial factors have played their part in the decline in family sizes. a risk factor (=something that makes you more likely to have an illness)The highest risk factor for coronary heart disease was found to be smoking.verbsdepend on certain factorsSuccess depends on certain factors.factors influence somethingVarious factors influenced the government’s decision.factors determine somethingThe final cost of the product was determined by a combination of factors.factors are responsible for somethingThese underlying factors were responsible for his death.phrasesa combination/variety/number of factorsA combination of factors led to the closure of the factory.take certain factors into account (=to consider factors when making a decision)You should take all these factors into account.
Examples from the Corpus
factor• After reactor performance improvements of approximately a factor of one trillion, the break-even point is now in sight.• His girlfriend lives in London and I'm sure that was a factor in his decision to move there.• Nevertheless, when all factors have been assessed, there still remain effects which can not be explained in orthodox terms.• Race should never be a deciding factor in a hiring decision.• There is also a new enforcement factor at work, which is the emergence of global markets attuned to fiscal responsibility.• The proposition linking external factors to workshop behaviour rested on the first three studies.• The most important factor in professional sport is psychology.• Money will be the key factor when we decide to buy a new house.• This load depends on factors such as where the connection is in the building.• The issue of abortion rights is obviously not the only factor affecting the female vote.• Doctors recommend putting factor 30 sun lotion on children.• The price of insurance depends on several factors, including the age of the car.• Traders said several factors contributed to Nasdaq's weakness.• Several factors influence the distribution of potassium between body comPartments.• His formal education was a less significant factor in his upbringing than practical experience.• The holist is enlightened by an account of the factors constraining people's actions.• They omitted from their calculations two factors which were to make a nonsense of their plans.• There are one or two factors we haven't considered yet.factor in• The weather could be a factor in tomorrow's game.wind chill factor• Even in July the windchill factor can be intense.• Week after week, the temperature fell to bottomless depths; in the Dakotas, the windchill factor approached a hundred below. factorfactor2 AWL verb [transitive] American English technical HMNto divide a number into factors → factor something ↔ in → factor something ↔ out→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
factor• The fact that millionaires can do all sorts of things that we can't never seems to factor into the equation.• Once the policy of factoring is established, the factor will dictate credit terms.• This would allow investors to factor out inflation before calculating how much money they made on the sale of a particular asset.• It was just 6% of total world factoring volumes in 1991, according to Factors Chain International.From Longman Business Dictionaryfactorfac‧tor1 /ˈfæktə-ər/ noun1[countable] one of many things that influence or affect a situationThe council will take a number of factors into account when making its decision.The law should not be concerned solely with economic factors.2the deciding/decisive/determining factor the most important thing that affects a decisionThe chancellor’s achievements on exchange and interest rates could be the deciding factor in the election.The size of the firm is likely to be the determining factor as to whether decisions should be unanimous or taken by majority vote.3the feelgood factor journalism when people have positive feelings about the economy and their own financial situation, and the way that this influences the popularity of the governmentAn opinion poll of voters showed a big drop in the feelgood factor.4[countable] (also invoice factor)FINANCE a financial institution that pays a business the money that suppliers owe it immediately, in return for a small percentage. The business benefits by getting the money immediately, improving its CASH FLOW. Factoring is a form of finance that can be cheaper than bank loans or OVERDRAFTsNew technology used by modern factors shows what cheques have been paid in and whether there are disputed invoices.a member of the Association of Invoice Factors5[countable]STATISTICS one of two or more numbers which divide into another number exactly. For example, 5 and 7 are factors of 356by a factor of five/ten etcSTATISTICS if an amount increases or decreases by a factor of five, ten etc, it increases or decreases by five times, ten times etcA computer system can speed up administration by a factor of about 4.factorfactor2 verb [transitive] FINANCE to buy debts that are owed to another company for less than the debts are worth, and then obtain payment directly from those who owe these debtsSome companies prefer not to disclose cashflow details, making it impossible to know how much merchandise in stores is factored. → factor something → in/into/out→ See Verb tableOrigin factor1 (1400-1500) French facteur, from Latin factor “doer, maker”, from facere “to do, make” 