Word
exponent
Phoneticsex·po·nent, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɛkˌspoʊnənt/
UK/ɛkspˈəʊnənt/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a number or letter that shows how many times a base number is multiplied by itself. You see this in math when you write 2^3 to mean 2 times 2 times 2.
n. a number or symbol placed above and after another number to indicate the power to which the former is to be raised.
Examples
“The exponent in 10^5 is five.”
“When you multiply two numbers with the same base, you add their exponents together.”
“In scientific notation, the exponent allows researchers to express extremely large or small quantities in a more manageable and standardized format.”
Examples
simple
“The exponent in 10^5 is five.”
contextual
“When you multiply two numbers with the same base, you add their exponents together.”
complex
“In scientific notation, the exponent allows researchers to express extremely large or small quantities in a more manageable and standardized format.”
Real-World Examples
“He talks about an industry which, he admits, often makes his “blood boil”, football becoming the “maximum exponent of greed”.” “This is partly because shurikenjutsu was a secret art and also due to the fact that throughout early Japanese history there were many independent exponents of the skill of throwing long, thin objects.” Etymology
From Latin expōnēns, present participle of expōnō (“to expose; to exhibit, display, set out; to explain”), from ex- (“out, away”) + pōnō (“to lay, place, put”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/exponent