(proportions)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A proportion of a group or an amount is a part of it. (FORMAL)
A large proportion of the dolphins in that area will eventually die...
A proportion of the rent is met by the city council.
N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n
2.
The proportion of one kind of person or thing in a group is the number of people or things of that kind compared to the total number of people or things in the group.
The proportion of women in the profession had risen to 17.3%...
N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n
3.
The proportion of one amount to another is the relationship between the two amounts in terms of how much there is of each thing.
Women's bodies tend to have a higher proportion of fat to water.
= ratio
N-COUNT: oft N of n to n
4.
If you refer to the proportions of something, you are referring to its size, usually when this is extremely large. (WRITTEN)
In the tropics plants grow to huge proportions.
N-PLURAL: usu supp N
5.
If one thing increases or decreases in proportion to another thing, it increases or decreases to the same degree as that thing.
The pressure in the cylinders would go up in proportion to the boiler pressure.
PREP-PHRASE
6.
If something is small or large in proportion to something else, it is small or large when compared with that thing.
Children tend to have relatively larger heads than adults in proportion to the rest of their body.
PREP-PHRASE
7.
If you say that something is out of all proportion to something else, you think that it is far greater or more serious than it should be.
The punishment was out of all proportion to the crime.
PREP-PHRASE: usu v-link PREP
8.
If you get something out of proportion, you think it is more important or worrying than it really is. If you keep something in proportion, you have a realistic view of how important it is.
Everything just got blown out of proportion...
We've got to keep this in proportion.
PHRASE: PHR after v