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
Those numbers assume the S&P 500 returns more than 10% a year without interruption for 55 years. — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026 In addition to the larger number of fitting stations, the space reflects a more contemporary design. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
Compared to the rapidly declining number of referrals from traditional search engines — which once numbered in the tens of millions — these AI clicks are a tiny drop in the bucket. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 24 Sep. 2026 Every building in Gaza, a source says, is numbered, and the floors in every building are counted. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 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
  • The drummer said she was distressed by the paucity of water stations available, and feared the triple-digit heat was a risk for fans.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The jewelry brand, which specializes in demi-fine gold and bejeweled happy face charm bracelets, has seen triple-digit growth this season, according to Sophie Capel-Creasey, a jewelry buyer for Selfridges.
    — Mary Wenthur, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of digit
Noun
  • And this change—subtle but enormous, accreting, over decades, through various currents and ecologies of selection, like a change in the composition of pearls—has altered our collective sense of what comedy is.
    — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In contrast, other oxides rose over time, suggesting that the newly arriving material has a distinct chemical composition.
    — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of composition
Noun
  • At one point, Soulan points out that the crime of fuel-smuggling is minor compared to the barons profiting off the very same — and shouldn’t the motivation, the practical outcome of the act, count for something?
    — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The high-wire act that followed—in which performers had to make these bland conceits into something funny without, ostensibly, preparing any jokes in advance—introduced a tension that made sketch shows feel sedate and uneven by comparison.
    — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 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
  • James Ehnes plays both in a feat that captures the full range of this giant of 20th-century music.
    — Mike Hamersly, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • This year five restaurants were named James Beard Award semifinalists, a feat for a city of around 196,000.
    — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of feat
Noun
  • Since then, the consumer business has grown to around $51 billion in 2025, or 39% of total revenue, according to CNBC calculations.
    — Matthew Tan,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • That calculation is reason enough to grant commissioners a boost in pay, one outgoing commissioner said.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of calculation
Verb
  • That changed two weeks ago, when one death was finally counted, and again last week when a second was added to the agency's tally.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Since the automation kept the call, the system counts it as handled.
    — Malte Kosub, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of count
Verb
  • Agents run reports overnight, aggregate the results and prepare the dashboards before the team arrives.
    — Keith Ferrazzi, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The new Fashion Coalition proposes to aggregate demand and develop financing models, particularly for next-generation materials and technologies.
    — Lewis Perkins, Footwear News, 7 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on number

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about number

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