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to number

to number

35 1.0
To mark items with digits so they are in order
  • verb
  • /ˈnʌmbər/
translation icon : numerar
  • Normally they put a playing card in each one, but given that Silver is blind, they just numbered them one through ten.
  • numbered consecutively
  • number the pages
  • numbered and dated

Like, I don't know if you've numbered that, but it takes hours.

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Examples

  • French license plates are numbered by region.

  • First, we number the obvious figures: the lady, the couple, the man with the cane.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Well... number them... - ..one to ten, from left to right.

  • For younger children, the teacher may wish to number locations along a path.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The four engines are numbered one through four, left to right.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The albums are numbered and lined up on the shelf beside the fireplace.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Each excerpt was divided into five separate phrases, and the phrases were numbered as such for the purposes of this research.

    Academic text (2013)
  • By the early 1920s, astronomers had numbered more than 1,000 minor planets.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The Lumbee Nation, numbering about 39,000, is a majority of Robeson County's indigenous population.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Before shipping the books, they will number each copy to avoid confusion.

Idioms

To put your own needs before other people's

3 9.3

A clear top item on charts or rankings that is much more popular than others

1 8.9

Make someone face consequences they cannot avoid

To be likely to cause trouble for someone

To become red in the face when you feel embarrassed

Phrasal Verbs

22 8.6

To harm someone or something very badly

To know someone's phone number so you can call them

To get a ticket with a number showing your place in line

Compounds

436 1.7

The first and most important person or thing in a list

393 1.0

A set of numbers people use to call each other

158 1.4

Many people or things counted together

135 3.7

Someone or something that is second in order

A set of numbers people use to call someone by phone

number one
  • Informal
50 7.6

Putting your own needs or interests before those of other people

38 2.0

A phone number you call by mistake

A number the United States gives to people to show who they are, pay taxes, and get government benefits

17 1.0

Numbers or letters on a car's number plate that identify the vehicle

10 1.0

A whole number you can split into two equal parts

real number
  • Specialized
9 3.9

A value that can be shown on a straight line, like 3, 1/2, or pi

prime number
  • Specialized
7 3.6

A whole number greater than 1 that you can divide only by 1 and itself

5 1.8

A secret number that lets you access bank or phone accounts

5 1.0

A number that shows which page in a book or document

Doing long, complex calculations, often using a computer

A phone number to call for help in an emergency, for example the police or an ambulance

3 4.3

A device or program that produces numbers that do not follow a pattern

A unique number shown on a vehicle's license plate to identify it

number cruncher
  • Informal
3 4.5

A person who works with many numbers and can do difficult calculations using computers

whole number
  • Specialized
3 2.1

A number with no fraction and no decimal, such as 0, 1, or -3

number system
  • Specialized
2 3.5

A way to write numbers using digits, like decimal or binary

atomic number
  • Specialized
1 3.4

Number of protons in an atom's center that shows its place in the periodic table

real number
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A computer data type for numbers with decimals, often approximate

1 3.0

A number for a mailbox at a post office where someone receives mail

complex number
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A number with a real part and an imaginary part written as a + bi

magic number
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A number of protons or neutrons that makes a nucleus especially stable

imaginary number
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A number in the form a plus b i, where i is the square root of minus one

natural number
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A number used for counting that starts at one and goes up

A person who has the same job in another company or country

license number
  • Specialized
1 2.9

A code you enter to activate software or an online service

irrational number
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A number that cannot be written as a fraction, for example π or √2

rational number
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A number that can be written as a fraction like 3/4 or -1/2

1 3.0

A secret number you use to prove who you are and open accounts

call number
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A code of letters and numbers on a library book that shows where it is on the shelf

cardinal number
  • Specialized
1 2.4

A number that shows how many things there are, not their order, for example one, two, three

Fibonacci number
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A number in a list where each equals the sum of the two before, starting with 0 and 1

mass number
  • Specialized
1 4.9

The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus

index number
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A number that shows how things like prices change over time or between places

1 4.6

The British Prime Minister, their home at 10 Downing Street, or the main attacking player in football

A number that shows position in a list

oxidation number
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A number that shows how many electrons an atom has lost or gained in compounds and ions

A number used to receive mail at a post office box

transcendental number
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A number that is not a solution of any polynomial equation with rational coefficients

wave number
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A count of repeating movements per metre of light or sound

baryon number
  • Specialized
9.9

The difference in number between matter particles and antimatter particles that stays the same when particles react

binary number system
  • Specialized
4.2

A way to write numbers using only 0 and 1

Brinell number
  • Specialized
8.6

A number showing how hard a metal is by pressing a steel ball into it

composite number
  • Specialized
6.3

A whole number greater than one that can be divided evenly by a number other than one and itself

compound number
  • Specialized
5.3

An amount shown using two or more different units, like one hour and ten minutes

decimal number system
  • Specialized
3.7

A number system using digits 0 to 9 that counts in tens

9.9

A way of writing numbers that uses twelve as its base and digits 0 to 11

ABA transit number
  • Specialized
7.9

A number that shows a United States bank's location and tells which bank it is

algebraic number
  • Specialized
9.5

A number that solves a polynomial equation with rational coefficients

atomic number 100
  • Specialized
9.9

A radioactive metal made by shooting neutrons at plutonium in a lab

atomic number 10
  • Specialized
4.8

A colorless gas used in bright red signs and lights

atomic number 102
  • Specialized
9.3

A radioactive metal element called nobelium with atomic number 102 that scientists use only for research

atomic number 103
  • Specialized
9.9

A radioactive element called lawrencium that scientists make in a lab

atomic number 105
  • Specialized
8.5

An element called dubnium with symbol Db and atomic number 105

atomic number 104
  • Specialized
9.9

A man-made radioactive chemical element called rutherfordium with symbol Rf

atomic number 57
  • Specialized
8.7

A soft white metal found in rare earth minerals, used in special glass and camera lenses

atomic number 56
  • Specialized
4.1

A soft silvery metal called barium used in medicine and industry

atomic number 58
  • Specialized
7.8

A soft grey metal used in lighter flints and many industries

atomic number 60
  • Specialized
7.4

A soft metal called neodymium from the rare earths used in strong magnets and lasers

atomic number 59
  • Specialized
7.7

A soft yellow-white metal used in alloys and special glass

atomic number 61
  • Specialized
9.9

A soft silver metal from the rare earth group that is radioactive and has no stable forms

atomic number 63
  • Specialized
7.4

A rare earth metal with the symbol Eu

atomic number 62
  • Specialized
8.4

A silvery metal called samarium that is used in powerful magnets and electronics

atomic number 64
  • Specialized
7.5

A silvery-white chemical element used in magnets and medical imaging

atomic number 67
  • Specialized
8.6

A rare earth metal called holmium that helps make very strong magnets

atomic number 65
  • Specialized
8.9

A metal found in minerals and used in some lasers and glowing materials

atomic number 68
  • Specialized
8.3

A rare earth metal called erbium that is used in lasers

atomic number 7
  • Specialized
3.7

A colorless, odorless gas that makes up most of the air and is needed by living things

atomic number 70
  • Specialized
8.1

A soft silvery metal called ytterbium that has atomic number 70

How Systematic

to catalog
  • US
23 3.9
to index
17 4.2
to number
35 1.0
to label
92 1.0
to mark
203 1.4

Surface Forms

number infinitive
numbered past
numbered past participle
numbering present participle
numbers third person singular

Etymology

Number comes from the Latin numerus, which meant 'to count'. So to number something is to give it an order or a number, marking it for easy reference.