🧮 To calculate 🔢 A number 🧑‍💼 An important person 🎭 To play a part 👤 A body shape 👁️ Main object 🗣️ A language device

to figure

347 4.9

To be an important part of something

verb
/ˈfɪɡjər/

: figurar

The West/non-West binary cannot explain the situation in South Africa, which figures so crucially in several essays here.
figure prominently in
figure in decisions
figure in stories

Some English speaking authors as well could figure into that.

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Examples

NATO, Russia, and the United Nations must all figure in how we resolve the Kosovo crisis.

Academic text (1999)
She figures prominently in the upcoming documentary about social change.
All of these people figure into that that field.

Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy
Some English speaking authors as well could figure into that.

Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy
Where does theology figure in the face of the challenge of borders and strangers?

Academic text (2008)
Trust in industry, government, and science figured prominently in decisions of accountability.

Academic text (1999)
As other scholars have shown, the theme of time figures significantly in many of Poe's tales.

Academic text (1999)
Throughout the history of European art music, improvisation has figured prominently in musical performance.

Academic text (1991)
Since normalization in 1992, Iran has figured prominently in Israel's interactions with India.

Academic text (2013)
The experts need to figure out how to solve the ongoing issue effectively.

Synonyms

to enter

vsto figure

136 1.3

To have an effect on a decision or situation as a factor

is more about having strong influence or being prominently featured

Idioms

to cut a figure

Informal

7.6

To stand out and make people notice you

Phrasal Verbs

to figure out

Informal

∞ 2.2

To think about something and find an answer or understand it

to figure skate

1 4.4

To perform jumps and dance moves on ice while wearing skates

Compounds

public figure

51 3.5

A person who is well known to many people, for example a celebrity or politician

father figure

40 3.9

A man who gives care and guidance like a father to someone who is not his child

figure skating

28 3.1

A sport where people skate on ice and do jumps, spins, and graceful moves

authority figure

26 4.3

A person who has power because of their job or position

figure of speech

20 3.7

Words used to mean something different to create a strong picture

key figure

12 3.8

An important person who plays the main role in a group or event

stick figure

8 2.6

A very simple drawing of a person using a circle for the head and lines for body, arms and legs

controversial figure

6 4.6

A person who causes strong arguments among many people

tragic figure

Literature

4 7.2

A person in a story whose mistake causes their downfall

father-figure

3 4.4

A man who gives care and guidance like a parent

mother figure

3 3.2

A woman who cares for and guides someone like a parent

hourglass figure

3 3.9

A body shape with a narrow waist and wider hips and bust

wax figure

3 3.7

A life-size statue made of wax that looks like a real person

significant figure

Specialized

1 4.9

A digit that shows how exact a number is and begins with the first digit that is not zero

figure 8

1 3.6

A shape made of two loops that cross in the middle like the number eight

figure eight

1 2.8

A flat shape with two loops joined like the number eight

figure eight

1 4.9

A skating move that traces two joined loops on the ice

figure of merit

Specialized

1 7.7

A number that shows how well a device or material works compared to others

mythological figure

Literature

1 5.8

A character from traditional stories who has magical powers

three-figure

1 3.2

A number with three digits between 100 and 999

figure skate

3.2

A boot with a metal blade and toe picks for jumps and spins on ice

figure eight

Specialized

5.0

A knot tied near the rope end that stops it slipping through a hole and looks like the number eight

figure loom

Specialized

9.9

A machine that weaves cloth with patterns or pictures

figure of eight

4.8

A shape like the number eight made by one line crossing itself

figure of eight

Specialized

5.1

A knot shaped like the number eight used to stop a rope slipping

lay figure

Archaic

9.8

A model of the human body with movable joints that artists use to set and study poses

glamazonian figure

Informal

9.6

A tall, very attractive and stylish woman's body shape

percumbent figure

Archaic

9.9

A person or statue shown lying down in art

plane figure

Specialized

3.1

A flat shape like a circle or square

symbolic figure

6.4

A person or object that stands for an idea with deeper meaning

terminal figure

Specialized

9.9

A carved statue, often a head or animal, placed on a square pillar to mark a boundary

three-dimensional figure

Specialized

3.6

A solid shape with height, width and depth like a cube

solid figure

3.9

A shape with length, width, and height like a cube or sphere

two-dimensional figure

Specialized

3.9

A flat shape like a square or circle with length and width but no depth

zaftig figure

9.1

A woman with a full, curvy body seen as attractive

How Important

to dominate

275 3.7

to figure

347 4.9

to play a part

42 2.5

to involve

∞ 1.8

Surface Forms

figure infinitive

figured past

figured past participle

figuring present participle

figures third person singular

Etymology

Figure (as a verb, in phrases like 'figure in') comes from the idea of a visible 'figure' or person, so to figure in something is to appear or be an important part of it.