All 5 Uses

factor
in
Orange Is the New Black
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Housing, employment, health, family—these are the factors that determine whether a person returning home from prison will succeed or fail as a law-abiding citizen.†
p. 250.6 *

factors = things that affect a result or outcome
The tension I observed in Nora derived from how many "contracts" were available, whether she and Jack could fulfill them, and whether the units of drugs would actually arrive as scheduled—all factors that seemed to change at a moment's notice.†
p. 11.7
Levy soon became the unifying factor in the shop: the rest of us united against her.†
p. 97.4
From her speech and her writing, and despite her passion for Fear Factor, I could tell that Allie was better educated than most prisoners.†
p. 179.1
I was chilling with them, surrounded by prisoners who were crocheting industriously, watching Fear Factor with their headsets on, or just talking.†
p. 224.2

Definitions:

(1) (factor as in: It was the deciding factor.)
something that affects a result or outcome

You also may encounter x-factor or x factor--meaning "the most important thing that influences a result or outcome."
(2) (factor as in: factor it into your thinking)
include consideration of
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
There are many specialized meanings in fields such as mathematics, business, finance, biology, and grammar.