arithmetic
noun
arith·me·tic
ə-ˈrith-mə-ˌtik 
1
a
: a branch of mathematics that deals usually with the nonnegative real numbers including sometimes the transfinite cardinals and with the application of the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to them
b
: a treatise on arithmetic
2
Examples of arithmetic in a Sentence
a software program that will do the arithmetic for you
I haven't actually done the arithmetic yet, but I suspect we're losing money on the deal.
Recent Examples on the Web
The time has come for House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, to face up to the brutal arithmetic that explains how Tallahassee works.
—
Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2025
And of course there’s some other stuff that can do arithmetic better than us.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 15 May 2025
That’s in 45 years… Corporate labs are starting to internalize such arithmetic.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
The traditional pillars of education — reading, writing and arithmetic — have not merely been sidelined; they are now regularly diminished as outdated or insufficient in the face of more fashionable trends.
—William P. Yeakel, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arithmetic
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Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2025
And of course there’s some other stuff that can do arithmetic better than us.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 15 May 2025
That’s in 45 years… Corporate labs are starting to internalize such arithmetic.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
The traditional pillars of education — reading, writing and arithmetic — have not merely been sidelined; they are now regularly diminished as outdated or insufficient in the face of more fashionable trends.
—William P. Yeakel, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arithmetic
Cite this Entry
“Arithmetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arithmetic. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
arithmetic
noun
arith·me·tic
ə-ˈrith-mə-ˌtik
1
: a branch of mathematics that deals with real numbers and their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
2
: an act or method of computing
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