factor
noun [ C ]
uk/ˈfæktər/ usone of several things that affects or influences a situation:
Increasing use of online newspapers was definitely a contributing factor to the company's collapse.
a key/significant/major factor
a critical/crucial factor
a deciding/decisive factor
FINANCE (also invoice factor)
a business that buys the right to collect debts for another company and charges for collecting them:
Using a factor can be a good way of getting better cashflow.
the amount that a number is multiplied or divided by:
a factor of 3/10/75, etc. You should reduce your final figures by a factor of three.
COMMERCE
a company or person that sells goods produced by another company using their own name, usually for payment
the . . . factor
something special that a product, idea, person, etc. has that makes them successful or makes people notice them:
What's missing from this organization is the leadership factor.
Her latest fashion collection certainly has the wow factor.
See also
adjustment factor
critical success factor
feelgood factor
hygiene factor
load factor
motivator factor
weighting factor
factor
verb [ T ]
uk/ˈfæktər/ us FINANCE
to sell the right to collect payments and debts owed to your company or organization to another business:
How many of their operations are factored?
Factoring is just one way of raising capital in the short term.
Phrasal verb
factor sth in