number 1 of 2

noun

ˈnəm-bər How to pronounce number (audio)
Definition of numbernext
1
as in digit
a character used to represent a mathematical value asked him to write out the equation in numbers, not letters

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2
as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production a doomsday novel that turns out to be one of those it-was-all-a-dream numbers

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3
as in act
a performance regularly presented by an individual or group a modern dance number

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4
as in cipher
a person of no importance or influence doesn't want to go to some mammoth state university where she would be just a number

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in feat
an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness a stunning gymnastics number that really impressed the judges

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6
as in calculation
numbers plural the act or process of performing mathematical operations to find a value if you believe the president's numbers, we can afford these new programs and still have tax cuts

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number

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to count
to find the sum of (a collection of things) by noting each one as it is being added number those apples and tell me how many you have

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2
as in to aggregate
to have a total of the full-time staff numbers 30 people

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3
as in to include
to have as part of a whole is numbered among the great minds of our times

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of number
Noun
An additional woman, 61, was hospitalized for medical complications unrelated to traumatic injuries, bringing the total number transported to 11. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 But for decades, that number would have seemed perfectly normal, even low. — Julie Z. Weil, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
Verb
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images The researchers said the Adelie penguins of Cape Adare, on the other side of Antarctica, are now the world's largest penguin colony, numbering more than one million as of 2018. — CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 By the end of the decade, Keen was regarded as the biggest name in Texas music, and his crowds in the Lone Star State frequently numbered in the tens of thousands. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for number
Recent Examples of Synonyms for number
  1. digit
  2. composition
  3. act
  4. cipher
  5. feat
  6. calculation
  7. count
  8. aggregate
Noun
  • Engineers could represent the two configurations as binary digits, or zeros and ones.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The aberrant digit only crept in because Ford owned the rights to Model E and wasn’t interested in selling.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of digit
Noun
  • Water conditions, food sources and even the composition of the seafloor can influence their flavor and appearance.
    — Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, Hugo says the case encompasses a much broader body of work stemming from compositions the two created during nearly 50 studio sessions between 2019 and 2021.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of composition
Noun
  • People went through the admission and security checkpoints without issues, and the event’s early evening acts enjoyed mostly dry stages with light, intermittent rain.
    — Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
  • To assure further compliance, Section 5 of the act required those states to get approval from the Justice Department or a court before making any changes to their electoral systems.
    — Jeffrey Toobin, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of act
Noun
  • There’s that vibrancy and, on the other side of the ledger, dead boys, ciphers, unfinished or unfinishable quests.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But in my view, our relationships to animals, whose lives are untouched by the existential woes and artifices of personhood, are the richest and most evident ciphers for our own often inscrutable psyches.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 June 2026
Definition of cipher
Noun
  • Smith accomplished the feat in nine fewer games than Edwards.
    — Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Panthers became the first team to ever have players turn natural hat tricks — three consecutive goals by one player — in three straight games after Brady Tkachuk achieved the feat in the team’s previous two outings.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of feat
Noun
  • Warner said that, by Accenture’s calculations, the pace shows no sign of slowing until something approaching 2030.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The group's calculations exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of calculation
Verb
  • The new rules would not restrict banks' ability to count housing tax credit investments toward their Community Reinvestment Act obligations, an administration official said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • While international observers initially blamed Moscow, there are now increasing suggestions that Ukrainian state security agencies may have been involved — even though Ukraine counts Germany as one of its closest allies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of count
Verb
  • To the extent that data centers are up and everything else is down, that’s not aggregate overheating.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Post aggregated this block-group, tract and county data to congressional districts.
    — Eric Lau, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggregate

Phrases Containing number

Browse Nearby Words

numbed
number
numberable
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Cite this Entry

“Number.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/number. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on number

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about number

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