Skip to main content
to number

to number

22 1.0
To count or include an item in a total
  • verb
  • /ˈnʌmbər/
: contar
  • Aboriginal people in Australia currently number about 300,000, slightly less than 2% of the total Australian population.
  • numbered over one million
  • population numbered
  • numbered about 10,000

Next to is to number six is to stay away from all smoke.

Examples

  • Its inmates numbered about 80,000.

  • And our first families number less than half the total number of family leaders.

    Academic text (1991)
  • By then we'll number in the hundreds, thousands even.

  • Our sources number the dead as low as 10, as high as 50.

  • How many do they number?

  • The rebels number roughly 2000 men and women.

  • They number in the millions!

  • Oil tankers in operation today number 3,500 and include some of the world's largest ships.

    Academic text (2008)
  • In 2001, active participants in the same event still numbered at least 10,000, but not 100,000.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The survey showed that the volunteers number over 1,000 this year.

Synonyms

to count
vsto number
∞ 1.0

To say numbers one by one to find the total

is also about being included in a group or amount
to total
vsto number
81 1.0

To add numbers together to find the whole amount

is wider, also meaning to be part of a group or included
to tally
vsto number
46 3.0

To count or add things like points and votes

is used more generally to add together or to be included in a group
to sum
vsto number
40 1.0

To add two or more numbers to find their total

is broader, covering counting or being included rather than only adding
to enumerate
vsto number
19 6.3

To list or count items one by one

is broader, covering adding up or being part of a group not only listing

Idioms

To put your own needs before other people's

2 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

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

25 8.6

To harm someone or something very badly

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

Compounds

∞ 1.7

The first and most important person or thing in a list

505 3.7

Someone or something that is second in order

421 1.0

A set of numbers people use to call each other

215 1.4

Many people or things counted together

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

A set of numbers people use to call someone by phone

48 1.0

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

48 2.0

A phone number you call by mistake

13 1.8

A secret number that lets you access bank or phone accounts

11 1.0

A whole number you can split into two equal parts

prime number
  • Specialized
10 3.6

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

real number
  • Specialized
10 3.9

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

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

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

6 1.0

A number that shows which page in a book or document

Doing long, complex calculations, often using a computer

number cruncher
  • Informal
5 4.5

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

4 4.3

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

whole number
  • Specialized
3 2.1

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

atomic number
  • Specialized
2 3.4

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

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

number system
  • Specialized
2 3.5

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

natural number
  • Specialized
2 3.4

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

2 3.0

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

imaginary number
  • Specialized
1 7.9

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

call number
  • Specialized
1 4.0

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

complex number
  • Specialized
1 6.3

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

1 3.0

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

irrational number
  • Specialized
1 5.6

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

A computer that does many math calculations very quickly

A number used to receive mail at a post office box

index number
  • Specialized
1 5.5

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

rational number
  • Specialized
1 3.8

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

number theorist
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A person who studies whole numbers and patterns, like prime numbers

transcendental number
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

1 4.6

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

wave number
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A count of repeating movements per metre of light or sound

mass number
  • Specialized
1 4.9

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

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

A number that shows position in a list

cardinal number
  • Specialized
1 2.4

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

f number
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A value that shows how wide a camera lens opens to let light in

oxidation number
  • Specialized
1 7.2

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

Avogadro's number
  • Specialized
1 7.4

The number of atoms or molecules in one mole of a substance, about 6.022 × 10^23

floating-point number
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A number that computers store to show very large or very small values approximately

atomic number 68
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A rare earth metal called erbium that is used in lasers

Mach number
  • Specialized
1 7.7

How fast something moves compared with the speed of sound around it

Avogadro number
  • Specialized
1 6.9

The number of atoms or molecules in one mole, about 6.022 × 10^23

A number for a box at the post office where you receive mail

stop number
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A number that shows how wide a camera lens opens to let light in

decimal number system
  • Specialized
1 3.7

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

composite number
  • Specialized
1 6.3

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

binary number system
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A way to write numbers using only 0 and 1

algebraic number
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A number that solves a polynomial equation with rational coefficients

octane number
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A number that shows how well fuel resists knocking in car engines

compound number
  • Specialized
1 5.3

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

atomic number 40
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A strong shiny grey metal used in nuclear reactors

number agreement
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A rule that makes verbs and adjectives match a noun's singular or plural

atomic number 92
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A heavy radioactive metal used as fuel in nuclear reactors and in weapons

sex number
  • NSFW
1 8.2

How many people someone has had sex with

license number
  • Specialized
1 2.9

A code you enter to activate software or an online service

baryon number
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

atomic number 10
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A colorless gas used in bright red signs and lights

back-number
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is no longer important or fashionable

magic number
  • Specialized
1 9.2

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

atomic number 77
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A heavy, rare metal used in strong metal mixtures and often found with platinum

atomic number 84
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A radioactive metal called polonium that is found with uranium and used in some devices

atomic number 112
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A very heavy radioactive metal made by scientists and named copernicium

1 9.9

An imaginary being people blame for luck in games and gambling

atomic number 22
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A light strong metal called titanium used to make medical implants and airplane parts

1 3.7

A code of digits that shows which bank or card company handles a payment

Brinell number
  • Specialized
8.6

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

9.9

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

How Exact

to calculate
247 2.8
to number
22 1.0
to estimate
678 2.8

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Number comes from Latin numerus, meaning 'a count'. So to number things can also mean to count them or to include them in a total.