- plural of statistic.
statistics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the science that deals with the collection, classification, analysis, and interpretation of numerical facts or data, and that, by use of mathematical theories of probability, imposes order and regularity on aggregates of more or less disparate elements.
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(used with a plural verb) the numerical facts or data themselves.
noun
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(functioning as plural) quantitative data on any subject, esp data comparing the distribution of some quantity for different subclasses of the population
statistics for earnings by different age groups
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(functioning as singular)
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the classification and interpretation of such data in accordance with probability theory and the application of methods such as hypothesis testing to them
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the mathematical study of the theoretical nature of such distributions and tests See also descriptive statistics statistical inference
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The branch of mathematics that deals with the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of numerical data. Statistics is especially useful in drawing general conclusions about a set of data from a sample of the data.
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Numerical data.
Discover More
A particular problem of statistics is estimating true values of parameters from a sample of data.
Etymology
Origin of statistics
First recorded in 1770–80; from German Statistik “political science, statistics,” from New Latin (collēgium) statisticum “(council) of state,” from statisticus “pertaining to state affairs,” and from Italian statista “politician, statesman,” derivative of stato “state,” ultimately from Latin status “constitution, public order”; see origin at status, -ics
Explanation
Statistics is a branch of mathematics that allows you to draw conclusions about a large group of people based on information collected from a smaller group. It's also a tough college math course. Say an Australian study reports that 45% of fifteen-year-old Australians like grape soda. The people who conducted that study didn't interview 45% of Australian fifteen-year-olds; they interviewed perhaps a fraction of the Australian fifteen-year-old population and based their conclusions about the entire population on that. This is the essence of statistics, and the uncertainty surrounding such studies is one reason why people who practice statistics have to take tough college courses.
Vocabulary lists containing statistics
Baseball: A Lexicon
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Words for the World Series
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List 7
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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.
The statistics bureau said the headline slowdown was primarily driven by decelerating gasoline price growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
These routes also allow certain quantum states to move through the material while undergoing fewer changes to their statistics.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
And so we really were curious to find out from those experts what the statistics were going to be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Manufacturers have added a net 81,000 jobs, government statistics show.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
On the other walls are lists of statistics about each official Warcross team.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
