number

num·ber (n

1. Mathematics

a. A member of the set of positive integers; one of a series of symbols of unique meaning in a fixed order that can be derived by counting.

b. A member of any of the further sets of mathematical objects, such as negative integers and real numbers.

2. numbers Arithmetic.

a. A symbol or word used to represent a number.

b. A numeral or a series of numerals used for reference or identification: his telephone number; the apartment number.

a. A position in an ordered sequence that corresponds to one of the positive integers: the house that is number three from the corner; ranked number six in her class.

b. One item in a group or series considered to be in numerical order: an old number of a magazine.

5. A total; a sum: the number of feet in a mile.

6. An indefinite quantity of units or individuals: The crowd was small in number. A number of people complained.

7. numbers

a. A large quantity; a multitude: Numbers of people visited the fair.

b. Numerical superiority: The South had leaders, the North numbers.

8. Grammar The indication, as by inflection, of the singularity, duality, or plurality of a linguistic form.

9. numbers

a. Metrical feet or lines; verses: "These numbers will I tear, and write in prose" Shakespeare.

b. Obsolete Poetic meter.

10. numbers Archaic Musical periods or measures.

11. numbers (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Games A numbers game.

12. Numbers (used with a sing. verb) Abbr. Num. or Nb See Table at Bible.

13. One of the separate offerings in a program of music or other entertainment: The band's second number was a march.

14. Slang A frequently repeated, characteristic speech, argument, or performance: suspects doing their usual number

protesting innocence.

15. Slang A person or thing singled out for a particular characteristic: a crafty number.

v. num·bered, num·ber·ing, num·bers

v.tr.

1. To assign a number to.

2. To determine the number or amount of; count.

3. To total in number or amount; add up to.

4. To include in a group or category: He was numbered among the lost.

5. To mention one by one; enumerate.

6. To limit or restrict in number: Our days are numbered.

v.intr.

1. To call off numbers; count: numbering to ten.

2. To constitute a group or number: The applicants numbered in the thousands.

Idioms:

by the numbers

1. In unison as numbers are called out by a leader: performing calisthenics by the numbers.

2. In a strict, step-by-step or mechanical way.

do a number on Slang

To defeat, abuse, or humiliate in a calculated and thorough way.

get/have (someone's) number

To determine or know someone's real character or motives.

without/beyond number

Too many to be counted; countless: mosquitoes without number.

[Middle English nombre, from Old French, from Latin numerus; see nem- in Indo-European roots.]

number·er n.

Usage Note: As a collective noun number may take either a singular or a plural verb. It takes a singular verb when it is preceded by the definite article the: The number of skilled workers is small. It takes a plural verb when preceded by the indefinite article a: A number of the workers are unskilled.

number

Noun

1. a concept of quantity that is or can be derived from a single unit, a sum of units, or zero

2. the word or symbol used to represent a number

3. a numeral or string of numerals used to identify a person or thing: an account number

4. the person or thing so identified: he was seeded number two

5. sum or quantity: a very large number of people have telephoned

6. one of a series, as of a magazine

7. a self-contained piece of pop or jazz music

8. a group of people: one of their number might be willing

9. Informal an admired article: that little number is by Dior

10. Grammar classification of words depending on how many people or things are referred to

11. any number of many

12. beyond or without number innumerable

13. have someone's number Informal to have discovered someone's true character or intentions

14. one's number is up Brit & Austral informal one is about to die

Verb

1. to count

2. to assign a number to: numbered seats

3. to add up to: the illustrations numbered well over fifty

4. to include in a group: he numbered several Americans among his friends

5. one's days are numbered something unpleasant, such as death, is likely to happen to one soon [Latin numerus]

number (n

1. A member of the set of positive integers. Each number is one of a series of unique symbols, each of which has exactly one predecessor except the first symbol in the series (1), and none of which are the predecessor of more than one number.

2. A member of any of the further sets of mathematical objects defined in terms of such numbers, such as negative integers, real numbers, and complex numbers.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	number - the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals; "he had a number of chores to do"; "the number of parameters is small"; "the figure was about a thousand" figure amount - the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion; "an adequate amount of food for four people" numerosity, numerousness, multiplicity - a large number preponderance, prevalence - a superiority in numbers or amount; "a preponderance of evidence against the defendant" countlessness, innumerableness - a number beyond counting bulk, majority - the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part; "the majority of his customers prefer it"; "the bulk of the work is finished" minority - being or relating to the smaller in number of two parts; "when the vote was taken they were in the minority"; "he held a minority position" fewness - the quality of being small in number roundness - the quality of being round numbers; "he gave us the results in round numbers, but their roundness didn't affect the point he was making"
	2.	number - a concept of quantity involving zero and units; "every number has a unique position in the sequence" arity - the number of arguments that a function can take co-ordinate, coordinate - a number that identifies a position relative to an axis folio, page number, pagination, paging - the system of numbering pages definite quantity - a specific measure of amount decimal - a number in the decimal system constant - a number representing a quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context; "the velocity of light is a constant" oxidation number, oxidation state - the degree of oxidation of an atom or ion or molecule; for simple atoms or ions the oxidation number is equal to the ionic charge; "the oxidation number of hydrogen is +1 and of oxygen is -2" cardinality - (mathematics) the number of elements in a set or group (considered as a property of that grouping) count - the total number counted; "a blood count" factor - any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together Fibonacci number - a number in the Fibonacci sequence prime, prime quantity - a number that has no factor but itself and 1 composite number - an integer that is divisible without remainder by at least one positive integer other than itself and one score - a number that expresses the accomplishment of a team or an individual in a game or contest; "the score was 7 to 0" record - the number of wins versus losses and ties a team has had; "at 9-0 they have the best record in their league" compound number - a quantity expressed in two different units; "one hour and ten minutes" no., ordinal, ordinal number - the number designating place in an ordered sequence cardinal number, cardinal - the number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order radix, base - (numeration system) the positive integer that is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place; "10 is the radix of the decimal system" floating-point number - a number represented in floating-point notation fixed-point number - a number represented in fixed-point notation atomic number - the order of an element in Mendeleyev's table of the elements; equal to the number of protons in the nucleus or electrons in the neutral state of an atom of an element baryon number - a number equal to the difference between the number of baryons and the number of antibaryons in any subatomic structure; it is conserved in all types of particle interactions quota - a prescribed number; "all the salesmen met their quota for the month" linage, lineage - the number of lines in a piece of printed material natural number - the number 1 and any other number obtained by adding 1 to it repeatedly integer, whole number - any of the natural numbers (positive or negative) or zero; "an integer is a number that is not a fraction" addend - a number that is added to another number (the augend) augend - a number to which another number (the addend) is added minuend - the number from which the subtrahend is subtracted subtrahend - the number to be subtracted from the minuend remainder, difference - the number that remains after subtraction; the number that when added to the subtrahend gives the minuend complex number, complex quantity, imaginary, imaginary number - (mathematics) a number of the form a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1 second power, square - the product of two equal terms; "nine is the second power of three"; "gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance" third power, cube - the product of three equal terms biquadrate, biquadratic, fourth power, quartic - an algebraic equation of the fourth degree root - a number that, when multiplied by itself some number of times, equals a given number dividend - a number to be divided by another number divisor - the number by which a dividend is divided quotient - the number obtained by division remainder - the part of the dividend that is left over when the dividend is not evenly divisible by the divisor
	3.	number - a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program; "he did his act three times every evening"; "she had a catchy little routine"; "it was one of the best numbers he ever did" routine, act, bit, turn performance, public presentation - a dramatic or musical entertainment; "they listened to ten different performances"; "the play ran for 100 performances"; "the frequent performances of the symphony testify to its popularity" show-stopper, showstopper, stopper - an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down
	4.	number - the number is used in calling a particular telephone; "he has an unlisted number" phone number, telephone number signal, signaling, sign - any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message; "signals from the boat suddenly stopped"
	5.	number - a symbol used to represent a number; "he learned to write the numerals before he went to school" numeral symbol - an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance Arabic numeral, Hindu numeral, Hindu-Arabic numeral - one of the symbols 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0 Roman numeral - a symbol in the old Roman notation; I,V,X,L,C,D,M represent 1,5,10,50,100,500,1000 respectively in Arabic notation antilog, antilogarithm - the number of which a given number is the logarithm
	6.	number - one of a series published periodically; "she found an old issue of the magazine in her dentist's waiting room" issue periodical - a publication that appears at fixed intervals serial publication, serial, series - a periodical that appears at scheduled times edition - an issue of a newspaper; "he read it in yesterday's edition of the Times"
	7.	number - a select company of people; "I hope to become one of their number before I die" company - a social gathering of guests or companions; "the house was filled with company when I arrived"
	8.	number - a numeral or string of numerals that is used for identification; "she refused to give them her Social Security number" identification number ABA transit number, bank identification number, BIN - an identification number consisting of a two-part code assigned to banks and savings associations; the first part shows the location and the second identifies the bank itself license number, registration number - the number on the license plate that identifies the car that bears it Social Security number - the number of a particular individual's Social Security account positive identification - evidence proving that you are who you say you are; evidence establishing that you are among the group of people already known to the system; recognition by the system leads to acceptance; "a system for positive identification can prevent the use of a single identity by several people" personal identification number, PIN number, PIN - a number you choose and use to gain access to various accounts
	9.	number - a clothing measurement; "a number 13 shoe" size - the property resulting from being one of a series of graduated measurements (as of clothing); "he wears a size 13 shoe" colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
	10.	number - the grammatical category for the forms of nouns and pronouns and verbs that are used depending on the number of entities involved (singular or dual or plural); "in English the subject and the verb must agree in number" grammatical category, syntactic category - (grammar) a category of words having the same grammatical properties
	11.	number - an item of merchandise offered for sale; "she preferred the black nylon number"; "this sweater is an all-wool number" merchandise, product, ware - commodities offered for sale; "good business depends on having good merchandise"; "that store offers a variety of products"
Verb	1.	number - add up in number or quantity; "The bills amounted to $2,000"; "The bill came to $2,000" total, amount, add up, come work out - be calculated; "The fees work out to less than $1,000" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" outnumber - be larger in number average, average out - amount to or come to an average, without loss or gain; "The number of hours I work per work averages out to 40" make - add up to; "four and four make eight"
	2.	number - give numbers to; "You should number the pages of the thesis" paginate, page, foliate - number the pages of a book or manuscript denominate, designate - assign a name or title to
	3.	number - enumerate; "We must number the names of the great mathematicians" list itemise, itemize - place on a list of items; "itemize one's tax deductions" identify, name - give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property; "Many senators were named in connection with the scandal"; "The almanac identifies the auspicious months"
	4.	number - put into a group; "The academy counts several Nobel Prize winners among its members" count class, classify, sort out, assort, sort, separate - arrange or order by classes or categories; "How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?"
	5.	number - determine the number or amount of; "Can you count the books on your shelf?"; "Count your change" count, numerate, enumerate recount - count again; "We had to recount all the votes after an accusation of fraud was made" ascertain, determine, find out, find - establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study; "find the product of two numbers"; "The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize" miscount - count wrongly census - conduct a census; "They censused the deer in the forest" add together, summate, tot, tot up, tote up, total, add up, sum, sum up, tally, add - determine the sum of; "Add all the people in this town to those of the neighboring town"
	6.	number - place a limit on the number of keep down circumscribe, confine, limit - restrict or confine, "I limit you to two visits to the pub a day"