In math, a term is a component of an algebraic expression that can be a single number, variable, or the product of a number and variables. Terms are separated by + or - signs, or sometimes by division. A coefficient is a number multiplied by a variable. For example, in the term 5x, the coefficient is 5. Factors are the elements multiplied within each term. For example, in the term 2xy, the factors are 2, x, and y.

In algebra, an algebraic expression is formed by a term or a group of terms together. When we combine constants and variables connected by mathematical operations such as +, -, x, and ÷, we get an algebraic expression. For example, 8x + 9 is an algebraic expression, where 8x and 9 are terms.

Terms also play a role in universal algebra and mathematical logic, where a term algebra is a freely generated algebraic structure over a given signature. In this context, a term algebra is a concrete model of an abstract data type declaration that provides the signature of a multi-sorted algebraic structure.