Number

/ˈnʌmbər/ · noun

Meaning

Quantity of countable things..

Definitions by Sense

1. Quantity of countable things.
2. (countable) An abstract entity used to describe quantity.
3. (countable) A numeral: a symbol for a non-negative integer.
4. (countable, mathematics) An element of one of several sets: natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers, and sometimes extensions such as hypercomplex numbers, etc.
5. (Followed by a numeral; used attributively) Indicating the position of something in a list or sequence. Abbreviations: No or No., no or no. (in each case, sometimes written with a superscript "o", like Nº or №). The symbol "#" is also used in this manner.
6. A sequence of digits and letters used to register people, automobiles, and various other items.
7. (countable, informal) A telephone number.
8. (grammar) Of a word or phrase, the state of being singular, dual or plural, shown by inflection.

Example Sentences

Any number of people can be reading from a given repository at a time.

There are, in addition to all the red socks, a number that don’t suit me either.

The number of malnourished children has decreased.

From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.[…] But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip.

Number itself importeth not much in armies where the people are of weak courage.

Zero, one, −1, 2.5, and pi are all numbers.

The number 8 is usually made with a single stroke.

The former FBI director James Comey has said it did not occur to him that that the numbers 8647 – which he spotted spelled out in seashells on a beach, and posted on social media – could be interpreted as a call to assassinate the president, as many supporters of Donald Trump have claimed.

Synonyms for number

Antonyms for number

Related Words

Word Forms

• numbers
• nummer
• numbre
• numbering
• numbered

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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