DictionaryAI

ratio

RAY-shoh/ˈɹeɪ.ʃoʊ/UKRAY-shee-oh/ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ/

Pluralratios

Verbratios, ratioing, ratioed

5 meanings of ratio

Practice

  1. 1
    proportionnouncountable
    The relative sizes of two quantities, usually written as one number divided by another.

    The recipe calls for a flour-to-water ratio of two to one.

    To enlarge the drawing without distorting it, keep the ratio of width to height the same.

    UsageSay the ratio of A to B, or an A-to-B ratio; the order matters.

    Similarproportion

    Note

    Arithmetic treats the comparison as a quotient. It measures how many times one quantity contains another of the same kind, and it can be written 2:1, 2/1 or "two to one."

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • An arithmetic ratio compares quantities through division and measures how many times one contains another. en.wikipedia.org
    • The ratio two to one can be represented as 2:1 or 2/1. en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2
    replies to likesnounslangcountable
    On social media, the number of replies a post draws set against its likes; also the rebuke this shows when replies swamp the likes or a reply outscores the post.

    The senator's announcement earned a savage ratio within minutes of posting.

    Editors watched the ratio climb as users piled into the replies to object.

    UsageA post gets or earns a ratio.

    Note

    Social media turned a count into a verdict. Likes register approval, so when replies far outnumber them, the post is read as having been rejected by its audience. The same count lies behind the verb "to ratio" and the one-word taunt.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Likes serve as expressions of appreciation or approval. help.x.com
  3. 3
    verbslangtransitive
    On social media, to show up a post by flooding it with more replies than it has likes, or with a reply that outscores it in likes, especially to condemn or mock its author.

    Critics ratioed the brand's tone-deaf advertisement within hours.

    Whenever he posts something inflammatory, other users ratio him mercilessly.

    UsagePassive patterns include got ratioed and was ratioed. The past form is ratioed or ratio'd.

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    one-word replyinterjectionslangneologism
    A one-word reply on social media used to signal disagreement with or dislike of the post it answers.

    The replies were a wall of "Ratio" aimed at the controversial post.

    "Ratio," came the curt response to his bad take.

    UsageOften in a chain of jabs: L + ratio.

    Note

    A recent Twitter coinage that works as a taunt rather than a measurement. Replying with the bare word asks others to like the reply until it outscores the original post, bringing about the ratio it names. It can also open a longer retort, as in Lil Nas X's 2021 YouTube skit The Montero Show: "Ratio. YoungBoy is better."

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  2. 5
    noun
    In law, the principle on which a court's decision rests, the part that binds later cases; short for ratio decidendi.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of ratio apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Ration and reason are doublets of this word, which English borrowed from Latin "ratiō".

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts