What Does / Mean? Complete Explanation (With Examples)

Learning English can already be a tough experience with just the basic vocabulary and letters. So when texts start using symbols such as “/”, then it’s only natural for people to get confused. This article will explain what a “/” can mean in a sentence and how you can use it.

What Does / Mean?

The “/” symbol or “slash” symbol is a punctuation symbol generally used for separating dates and representing divisions, as well as presenting alternatives in English writing. This means that the “slash” symbol is incredibly versatile, and to understand what it means in any given situation, you must examine the context.

What Does slash Mean

In mathematics, the “/” symbol will normally be used to represent divisions, while in writing it’s just used to split two alternatives, denoting “and”, “or”, or “and & or”.

What Does / Mean in Writing?

In writing, the “/” symbol is used to stand in for “and”, “or” or “and & or”. You can use it to join two things, meaning “and”. You can also use it to denote two options, meaning “or”. Or you can use it to mean both, “and & or”.

In writing, therefore, “/” can be an incredibly powerful ally if you know how to use it well. You will often find it in forms and more practical pieces of writing.

When using “/”, however, you must be careful not to overload your text with instances of “/”. Unless it’s a really specific context, such as a word game, overusing it can be overwhelming and exhausting.

Here are some examples that will teach you how to use / in a sentence without any difficulty at all:

  1. We’re going to go to the mountains/beach after this part of the trip is over.
  2. Once I’ve chosen my university in Philadelphia/Chicago, then we can continue working.
  3. You can go to the store/bank and return here in little to no time at all, I wouldn’t worry.
  4. He has seen that he was able to create/return his policy without any issues the other week.
  5. I think we’re going to go to the snack shop and/or the ramen restaurant tonight.
  6. When I/you realize, the reaction will be the same no matter what.
  7. Typing out your ideas in a document can be really fun/exhausting.
  8. Reading/writing is a very important skill to hone and practice throughout your life.
  9. His administration has been defined by his willingness/eagerness to fight the establishment.
  10. She was very surprised/pleased to learn that he had arrived a full week earlier than expected.

What Does / Mean in Math?

In mathematics, “/” is, broadly speaking, used mainly for divisions. When you want to convey a division in a simple and straightforward way, then using “/” is the best resource that pretty much everyone will understand. You also use “/” to represent fractions, which are of course, divisions.

In a context that has to do with mathematics, such as a class or a programming sequence, the “/” symbol will be immediately understood to be referring to some sort of division.

If you have any sort of basic mathematics knowledge, you probably know that “/” is a very valuable symbol for any sort of operation that uses divisions or fractions.

Particularly in written texts that have to do with mathematics, there are no quicker ways to convey “division” than to use the “slash” symbol.

Here are some example sentences that will clearly show you how to use “/” in a sentence:

  1. For my first exercise, I had to do the division of 25/5, which I thankfully already knew.
  2. When you’re starting out, 42/7 can be a tough division to remember, but it’s not very hard.
  3. Did you know that 9/10 doctors recommend that you use this product as much as possible?
  4. So for the question that provides extra credit, who can tell me what the result of 345/2938 is?
  5. 5/10 assembly members voted for it, which meant the bill didn’t get a majority in the election.
  6. 36/6 is one of the most easy to remember divisions, because the answer is still 6.
  7. When the poll got made, 19/20 students in the class agreed, and the vote was anonymous.
  8. 20/20 of all the structures that I have built have been perfect and have not collapsed.
  9. Can anyone here in this classroom tell me what the answer of 63/9 is?
  10. Realizing that the answer in the 365/52 division wasn’t a round number was cool.

Final Thoughts

The “/” or “slash” symbol is an incredibly useful one whether you’re writing a text, or working with math. In math, it will be the stand-in for divisions and the tool to display fractions, and in writing, it can mean “and”, “or” and “and & or”. It’s a great symbol to learn.