noun
proportion
pruh-PAW-shuhn
noun
1
The size or amount of one part of something compared with the whole.
"A large proportion of the budget goes toward staff salaries."
"What proportion of students passed the exam?"
2
A balanced or harmonious relationship between the sizes of different parts.
"The architect designed the building with careful attention to proportion."
verb
1
To adjust the size or amount of something so it relates correctly to something else.
"The punishment should be proportioned to the severity of the crime."
How to Use Proportion
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA share of a whole, or the balanced relationship between parts and the whole.
Common pairings
a small proportion of
in proportion to
sense of proportion
Word Forms
proportioned past tense, proportions plural, proportions singular
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A large _____ of the budget goes toward staff salaries.
Etymology
From Old French proportion, from Latin proportio, from pro ("for, relative to") + portio ("share, part") — the same root as "portion."