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algebra

American  
[al-juh-bruh] / ˈæl dʒə brə /

noun

  1. the branch of mathematics that deals with general statements of relations, utilizing letters and other symbols to represent specific sets of numbers, values, vectors, etc., in the description of such relations.

  2. any of several algebraic systems, especially a ring in which elements can be multiplied by real or complex numbers linear algebra as well as by other elements of the ring.

  3. any special system of notation adapted to the study of a special system of relationship.

    algebra of classes.
algebra British  
/ ˌældʒɪˈbreɪɪst, ˈældʒɪbrə /

noun

  1. a branch of mathematics in which arithmetical operations and relationships are generalized by using alphabetic symbols to represent unknown numbers or members of specified sets of numbers

  2. the branch of mathematics dealing with more abstract formal structures, such as sets, groups, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
algebra Scientific  
/ ăl′jə-brə /

  1. A branch of mathematics in which symbols, usually letters of the alphabet, represent numbers or quantities and express general relationships that hold for all members of a specified set.

Other Word Forms

  • algebraist noun
  • prealgebra noun

Etymology

Origin of algebra

1535–45; < Medieval Latin < Arabic al-jabr literally, restoration

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So Idle workshopped it — did the algebra, as he described it — and wound up with a new, zingier joke he preferred.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

Yet rather than attribute the recent five-year drop only to the pandemic, you point to the state’s decision in 2013 to stop requiring algebra for all eighth-graders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

One key operation in a deep neural network involves the use of linear algebra to perform matrix multiplication, which transforms data as it is passed from layer to layer.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

"Instead of sitting there looking at the board trying to solve the algebra problem, you're sitting thinking, when I get home, what am I going to eat?"

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2024

I had survived algebra in the tenth grade, barely managing a B after a flurry of good test scores at the end of the school year.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.