/ prəˈpɔːʃn; NAmE -ˈpɔːrʃn/ noun
PART OF WHOLE
1.
[ C +sing./pl. v . ] a part or share of a whole :
Water covers a large proportion of the earth's surface.
Loam is a soil with roughly equal proportions of clay, sand and silt.
The proportion of regular smokers increases with age.
A higher proportion of Americans go on to higher education than is the case in Britain.
RELATIONSHIP
2.
[ U ] proportion (of sth to sth) the relationship of one thing to another in size, amount, etc.
SYN ratio :
The proportion of men to women in the college has changed dramatically over the years.
The basic ingredients are limestone and clay in the proportion 2:1.
The room is very long in proportion to (= relative to) its width.
3.
[ U , C , usually pl. ] the correct relationship in size, degree, importance, etc. between one thing and another or between the parts of a whole :
You haven't drawn the figures in the foreground in proportion .
The head is out of proportion with the body.
an impressive building with fine proportions
Always try to keep a sense of proportion (= of the relative importance of different things) .
SIZE / SHAPE
4.
proportions [ pl. ] the measurements of sth; its size and shape :
This method divides the task into more manageable proportions.
a food shortage that could soon reach crisis proportions
a room of fairly generous proportions
MATHEMATICS
5.
[ U ] the equal relationship between two pairs of numbers, as in the statement '4 is to 8 as 6 is to 12'
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IDIOMS
- keep sth in proportion
- out of (all) proportion (to sth)
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GRAMMAR
proportion
If proportion is used with an uncountable or a singular noun, the verb is generally singular:
A proportion of the land is used for agriculture.
If the proportion of is used with a plural countable noun, or a singular noun that represents a group of people, the verb is usually singular, but with a (large, small, etc.) proportion of a plural verb is often used, especially in BrE :
The proportion of small cars on America's roads is increasing.
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A high proportion of five-year-olds have teeth in poor condition
.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French , from Latin proportio(n-) , from pro portione in respect of (its or a person's) share.