floor function

noun

UK /flɔː ˈfʌŋkʃən/

US /flɔːr ˈfʌŋkʃən/

A math rule that gives you the biggest whole number that is not bigger than your number.

The floor function turns 3.7 into 3.

SYNONYMS

greatest integer function round-down function integer part function truncation toward negative infinity

RELATED WORDS

ceiling function rounding integer real number step function

OTHER MEANINGS

2. In computer programming, a built-in operation that rounds a number down to the nearest whole number.

The program used the floor function to turn 5.9 into 5.

3. A way to describe the whole-number part of a positive decimal number.

For 8.2, the floor function simply gives 8.

4. A mathematical tool often written with special brackets that point downward.

The floor function of -2.3 is -3, because -3 is the nearest whole number below it.