proportion

IPA/prəˈpɔːʃn/
KK[prəpˈɔrʃən]IPA/prəˈpɔːrʃn/

proportion — noun

  • proportionsingular
  • proportionsplural

1. a share or part of a total amount, shown by comparing its size against the full

1.nounB1
Definition

a share or part of a total amount, shown by comparing its size against the full thing it belongs to

Example

A large proportion of the budget goes to education and health care.

proportion + of + noun

Only a small proportion of applicants received an interview invitation.

Common collocations
  • large proportion of
  • small proportion of
  • growing proportion of
  • high proportion of
  • low proportion of
  • proportion of the population
Synonyms
  • share

    more general; does not necessarily imply a numerical comparison to a whole

  • percentage

    always stated as a number out of 100; narrower than proportion

  • fraction

    emphasises the part-whole relationship in mathematical terms

Grammar Patterns

proportion + of + noun

Common Mistakes

The proportion of people who owns a car has risen.
The proportion of people who own a car has risen.
the subject of 'own' is 'people' (plural), not 'proportion'.
A high proportion of the students is from overseas.
A high proportion of the students are from overseas.
when 'proportion of' is followed by a plural noun, the verb agrees with that noun.

2. the relationship between two things expressed by comparing their sizes, numbers,

2.nounB1
Definition

the relationship between two things expressed by comparing their sizes, numbers, or levels against each other

Example

The proportion of men to women in the class was roughly three to one.

proportion + of + noun + to + noun

Dario checked the proportion of sugar to flour before baking the cake.

Common collocations
  • proportion of X to Y
  • high proportion of
  • low proportion of
  • direct proportion
  • inverse proportion
Synonyms
  • ratio

    more precise in technical and mathematical contexts; used with numbers

  • rate

    usually compares change over time or frequency of events

  • relationship

    less precise and not necessarily numerical

Grammar Patterns

proportion + of + noun + to + noun

proportion + of + noun + and + noun

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense compares two independent quantities rather than a part to its whole. The pattern 'proportion of X to Y' is specific to this sense.

Common Mistakes

The proportion between teachers and students is 1:20.
The proportion of teachers to students is 1:20.
the correct pattern uses 'of A to B', not 'between A and B'.

3. the way that different parts of an object, building, or image relate to each oth

3.nounB2
Definition

the way that different parts of an object, building, or image relate to each other in size, creating a pleasing or balanced appearance

Example

The architect designed the house with perfect proportion between the rooms and the windows.

proportion between + plural nouns

Jessica admired the classical statue for its grace and sense of proportion.

Common collocations
  • sense of proportion
  • in proportion
  • out of proportion
  • perfect proportion
  • graceful proportion
Synonyms
  • balance

    broader; can refer to non-visual harmony as well

  • symmetry

    more specific; means exact mirroring on both sides

  • harmony

    focuses on the overall pleasing effect rather than size relationships

Antonyms
  • imbalance

    lack of proportion or equilibrium between parts

Grammar Patterns

in proportion

out of proportion

Usage Note

Often used in the fixed phrase 'in proportion' or 'out of proportion' to describe how parts of a design relate to each other aesthetically.

4. the general size, scale, or extent of something, especially when describing how

4.nounB2
Definition

the general size, scale, or extent of something, especially when describing how large or significant it is

Example

The charity faced a crisis of enormous proportions after the earthquake.

of + adjective + proportions

Jiwoo was surprised by the true proportions of the building once she stood beside it.

Common collocations
  • of epic proportions
  • of enormous proportions
  • of similar proportions
  • reach ... proportions
  • true proportions
Synonyms
  • size

    simpler and more general; does not imply magnitude or seriousness

  • scale

    focuses on the range or extent rather than physical measurements

  • magnitude

    more formal; emphasises importance or large size

Grammar Patterns

of + adjective + proportions

proportions of + noun

Usage Note

Very often used in the plural form 'proportions' with an adjective to describe the scale or seriousness of something, especially in news reports.

5. the degree of importance or seriousness that someone attaches to a situation, ev

5.nounB2
Definition

the degree of importance or seriousness that someone attaches to a situation, event, or problem, especially in fixed phrases about keeping a balanced view

Example

Talia tried to keep the argument in proportion and not let small things upset her.

keep + noun + in proportion

The media coverage was out of all proportion to the actual incident.

Common collocations
  • in proportion
  • out of proportion
  • sense of proportion
  • keep in proportion
  • blow out of proportion
  • out of all proportion to
Synonyms
  • perspective

    similar meaning but focuses on seeing things clearly rather than evaluating size or seriousness

Grammar Patterns

in proportion + to + noun

out of proportion + to + noun

Usage Note

This sense almost exclusively appears in fixed expressions. The phrase 'out of (all) proportion' usually takes 'to' to introduce the point of comparison.

Common Mistakes

He got things on proportion.
He got things in proportion.
the fixed phrase uses 'in proportion', not 'on proportion'.

6. a mathematical statement showing that two ratios are equal, written as an equati

6.nounC1
Definition

a mathematical statement showing that two ratios are equal, written as an equation that compares one pair of numbers with another, such as 4/2 = 10/5

Example

The teacher wrote a proportion on the board to show how two ratios match.

Darius solved the proportion by cross-multiplying the numbers in the equation.

solve + proportion + by + verb-ing

Common collocations
  • solve a proportion
  • write a proportion
  • extremes of a proportion
  • means of a proportion
Synonyms
  • equation

    broader; any mathematical statement showing equality, not limited to ratios

Grammar Patterns

proportion + stating + that-clause

Usage Note

A specialised mathematical term. In this sense proportion is always a statement of equality between two ratios, not a single ratio by itself.

Common Mistakes

A proportion is when two fractions are equal.
A proportion is a statement that two ratios are equal, for example 4/8 = 1/2.
the 'when' definition is too vague; use concrete examples.
Idioms

keep something in proportion

idiom

to react to a situation in a calm, sensible way without making it seem worse or more serious than it really is

Jenna knew she had failed the test, but she kept the result in proportion and studied harder for the next one.

Try to keep your worries in proportion — most of the things we fear never happen.

blow something out of proportion

idiom

to make a problem or situation seem much worse or more serious than it actually is

The newspapers blew the minister's small mistake completely out of proportion.

Amira admitted she had blown the disagreement out of proportion and apologised to her brother.

out of (all) proportion

idiom

much larger, more serious, or more extreme in relation to something than is reasonable or appropriate

The punishment seemed out of all proportion to the mistake the child had made.

The CEO's reaction was out of proportion to the small criticism she received from her manager.

out of (all) proportion (to something)

idiom

This phrase describes a situation where something is much bigger or more serious than it should be when compared to something else.

Maya's reaction to the small mistake was out of all proportion.

The cost of the repairs was out of proportion to the damage.

proportion — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

These words all describe comparisons between quantities, but they differ in how the comparison is framed. RATIO always compares two independent numbers directly and is written with a colon (3:1) or fraction; it is the most precise term in technical contexts. PROPORTION can refer either to a part of a whole (noun sense 1: 'the proportion of women in the workforce') or to a comparison between two related quantities (noun sense 2: 'the proportion of sugar to flour'). RATE usually describes how often something happens or changes over time, such as 'the unemployment rate' or 'the heart rate'. PERCENTAGE is a proportion always expressed as a number out of one hundred, so it is more specific than proportion. SHARE is the least technical and simply means a part or portion of something. For example, 'the ratio of cats to dogs is 2:1' is a precise mathematical comparison, while 'cats have a larger share of the pet population' is a general statement. 'The percentage of pet owners who prefer cats rose to 40%' gives an exact figure, whereas 'the proportion of cat owners varies by region' is a vaguer comparative statement.

ratio ↗proportion ↗rate ↗percentage ↗share ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in proportion to
  • out of proportion with
  • in direct proportion
  • in inverse proportion
  • of ... proportions

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'proportion' entered English in the late 1300s from Old French 'proporcion', which came from Latin 'proportio' — a combination of 'pro' (for, according to) and 'portio' (share, part). The Latin word was originally used to translate the Greek 'analogia' (analogy), a mathematical term for the equality of ratios. Over time the meaning expanded from mathematics to describe general relationships of size, balance, and importance.