- [countable] one of several things that cause or influence something
- Obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease.
- the key/crucial/deciding factor
- Criminality is associated with a range of individual, family and environmental factors.
- The result will depend on a number of different factors.
- factor in something The closure of the mine was the single most important factor in the town's decline.
- We have identified a few key factors in the project's success.
Language Bank causecauseX causes Y- Childhood obesity can cause/lead to long-term health problems.
- Changes in lifestyle and diet over the last twenty years have caused/led to/resulted in a sharp increase in childhood obesity.
- Several factors, including changes in diet and lifestyle, have contributed to the increase in childhood obesity.
- Research suggests that fast food and soft drinks directly contribute to childhood obesity.
- Genetics, lifestyle and diet are all important factors in cases of childhood obesity.
- Even small changes in lifestyle and diet can bring about significant weight loss.
Extra ExamplesTopics Change, cause and effecta2- A variety of other factors will be taken into account.
- External factors in the production of disease include pollution of the environment.
- Look for the common factor in all these cases.
- Money proved to be the deciding factor.
- Poor organization was certainly a contributory factor to the crisis.
- An unusually cold spring may have been a contributing factor.
- Researchers now believe nutrition may be a major factor behind some chronic diseases.
- His defending was a key factor in the team's win.
- The ability to obtain raw materials is a significant limiting factor on production.
- Genetic factors play a part in the condition.
- Studies have established that smoking is a risk factor for cancer.
- The appeal judges spoke of strong mitigating factors in the case.
- The human factor is crucial to success in team management.
- There are several factors at play here.
- This is regarded as the crucial factor in deciding who should get priority.
- a key factor in the decision
- environmental factors which predispose children to middle-ear infections
- one of the factors that influenced his decision
- one of the most significant factors
- the contextual factors which operate to hinder understanding
- the main factors behind the dollar's weakness
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- important
- main
- …
- consider
- take into account
- identify
- …
- be involved
- operate
- affect something
- …
- factor behind
- factor in
- a combination, number, variety, etc. of factors
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- [countable] (mathematics) a number that divides into another number exactly
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 are the factors of 12.
- [countable] the amount by which something increases or decreases
- The real wage of the average worker has increased by a factor of over ten in the last 70 years.
- [countable] a particular level on a scale of measurement
- a suntan lotion with a protection factor of 10
- The wind-chill factor will make it seem colder.
- [uncountable] (medical) a substance in the blood that helps the clotting process. There are several types of this substance.
- Haemophiliacs have no factor 8 in their blood.
Word Originlate Middle English (meaning ‘doer’, also in the Scots sense ‘agent’): from French facteur or Latin factor, from fact- ‘done’, from the verb facere.
Idioms
See factor in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee factor in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishthe feel-good factor
- (British English) (used especially in the media) the feeling of confidence in the future that is shared by many people
- After the recession, people were waiting for the return of the feel-good factor before starting to spend money again.
Check pronunciation:
factor