SIGNIFICANT FIGURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does significant figure mean? 

• SIGNIFICANT FIGURE (noun)
  The noun SIGNIFICANT FIGURE has 1 sense:

1. any digit of a number that is known with certainty; any digit of a number beginning with the leftmost non-zero digit and ending with the rightmost non-zero digit (or a zero considered to be the exact value)

  Familiarity information: SIGNIFICANT FIGURE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SIGNIFICANT FIGURE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any digit of a number that is known with certainty; any digit of a number beginning with the leftmost non-zero digit and ending with the rightmost non-zero digit (or a zero considered to be the exact value)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

significant digit; significant figure

Context example:

he calculated the answer to four significant figures

Hypernyms ("significant figure" is a kind of...):

digit; figure (one of the elements that collectively form a system of numeration)