fraction

Universal Words noun 1 a small part or amount of sth: Only a small fraction of a bank's total deposits will be withdrawn at any one time. * She hesitated for the merest fraction of a second. * He raised his voice a fraction HELPNOTE If fraction is used with a plural noun, the verb is usually plural: Only a fraction of cars in the UK use leaded petrol. If it is used with a singular noun that represents a group of people, the verb can be singular or plural in BrE, but is usually singular in AmE: A tiny fraction of the population never vote / votes. 2 a division of a number, for example 5/8 seealsoVULGARFRACTION compareINTEGER