ratio

1 of 2

noun

ra·​tio ˈrā-shē-ˌō 

-(ˌ)shō

plural ratios

1

a

: the indicated quotient of two mathematical expressions

b

: the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things : proportion

2

: the expression of the relative values of gold and silver as determined by a country's currency laws

ratio

2 of 2

verb

ratioed; ratioing; ratios

transitive verb

: to give considerably more negative than positive responses or reactions to (a social media post, user, etc.)

… users have ratioed the U.S. president, with many expressing disappointment and anger.

—Amanda Yeo

On Twitter, Variety's review got ratioed for a headline calling First Kill a "tired take" on "teen lesbian vampires," with folks piling on to rightfully call out the irony of labeling one of the only TV shows centered on a young lesbian love story "tired."

—Jess Joho

also : to respond to or comment on (another post, user, etc. on social media) and receive considerably more positive responses or reactions than the original post, user, etc.

Thomas' tweet ratioed the White Sox with over 2,000 likes and 218 retweets compared to 264 likes and 88 retweets on the original post …

—Andrés Soto

Synonyms of ratio

Noun

• rate

Examples of ratio in a Sentence

Noun

What is the length-to-width ratio?

the ratio of students to teachers in the school is nine to one

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Wealthfront does not disclose its minimum credit score or maximum debt-to-income ratio for mortgages. — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

The jobs ratio used to select productions appears to favor animation since the category is often more labor-intensive than live-action, generating higher below-the-line spending relative to the total production budget. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

His yards per attempt and passer rating have fallen, too, and his regular-season touchdown-to-interception ratio has also slipped, from 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a rookie to 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions since the start of 2025. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Leverage is a ratio of the amount of debt a company carries compared to its assets or equity. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin, computation, reason — more at reason entry 1

Verb

derivative of ratio entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 2017, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ratio

• aspect ratio
• case fatality ratio
• common ratio
• focal ratio
• golden ratio
• gyromagnetic ratio
• loss ratio
• nutritive ratio
• Poisson's ratio
• price-earnings ratio
• ultima ratio

Rhymes for ratio

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

ratio

noun

ra·​tio ˈrā-shō 

-shē-ˌō

plural ratios

1

: the quotient of two numbers or mathematical expressions

the ratio of 6 to 3 may be expressed as 6:3, ⁶⁄₃, and 2

2

: the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things

women outnumbered men in the ratio of three to one

Medical Definition

ratio

noun

ra·​tio ˈrā-(ˌ)shō, -shē-ˌō 

plural ratios

: the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things see sex ratio