"Like terms" are terms whose variables (and their exponents such as the 2 in x 2) are the same. In other words, terms that are "like" each other.

In mathematics, like terms are summands in a sum that differ only by a numerical factor. Like terms can be regrouped by adding their coefficients. Typically, in a polynomial expression, like terms are those that contain the same variables to the same powers, possibly with different coefficients.

Illustrated definition of Like Terms: Terms whose variables (such as x or y) with their exponents (such as the 2 in xsup2sup) are the same.

like terms Terms whose variables (such as 𝒙 or 𝒚) with any exponents (a symbol written above and to the right of a mathematical expression) are the same. For example, 7𝒙 and 2𝒙 are like terms because they are both amounts of ‘𝒙’.

Like terms can be defined as terms that contain the same variables raised to the same power. Only the numerical coefficients are different. In an expression, only we can combine like terms. We combine like terms to short and simplify the algebraic expressions, so we can work with them more easily.