number
NUHM-buh
Number (noun) means a value used to count, measure, or label something. Example: “Write your phone number at the top of the form, please.”
noun
1
A value used to count, measure, or label something.
"Write your phone number at the top of the form, please."
"Pick a number between one and ten."
"The house number was painted on the gate."
2
A telephone number.
"Can I get your number before you go?"
"I must have saved the wrong number, because nobody answered my call."
"Could you text me the number of the plumber you recommended?"
3
A single song or routine within a larger performance.
"The band closed the show with an upbeat number."
"The choir sang a slow number that made the audience go quiet."
"Her solo number was the highlight of the school concert."
4
Informal: an outfit, especially a stylish one.
"She turned up in a stunning little black number."
"He wore a smart grey number to his cousin's wedding."
"That red number in the shop window would look lovely on you."
verb
1
To assign numbers to, or to total a certain amount.
"The pages were numbered in the top corner."
"The crowd numbered in the thousands."
"Please number each box so we can find things quickly after the move."
How to use number
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA figure used for counting or identifying things — and informally, a song, an outfit, or a rough total.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a large number of
number one
by the numbers
her number
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Word forms
- Plural
- numbers
- Third person singular
- numbers
- Past tense
- numbered
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Write your phone _____ at the top of the form, please.
Etymology
From Old French nombre, from Latin numerus ("number"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to divide" or "to allot".
Related words
Rhymes for number
See all rhymes for number →Frequently asked questions
What does “number” mean?
The word “number” means a value used to count, measure, or label something. In plain terms, a figure used for counting or identifying things — and informally, a song, an outfit, or a rough total.
How do you pronounce “number”?
“Number” is pronounced NUHM-buh ([ˈnʌ̟mbɚ] in IPA).
How do you use “number” in a sentence?
Here is “number” used in a sentence: “Pick a number between one and ten.”
What part of speech is “number”?
Depending on how it is used, “number” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “number” come from?
The word “number” comes from Latin. From Old French nombre, from Latin numerus ("number"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to divide" or "to allot".
Is “number” a common word?
“Number” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “number” have?
“Number” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a value used to count, measure, or label something.
What is the difference between a number and a numeral?
A number is the abstract value or quantity itself — the idea of 'seven', for example. A numeral is the written symbol that represents it, such as 7, VII, or the word 'seven'. In short, the numeral is the label on the page, while the number is the concept that label stands for.
What is the difference between a number and a digit?
A digit is a single symbol from 0 to 9, while a number can be built from one or many digits. The number 482, for instance, is made up of three digits. Every digit is a number on its own, but most numbers contain several digits arranged in a particular order.
What are the main types of numbers?
Everyday numbers fall into several groups: whole numbers used for counting, negative numbers below zero, and fractions, decimals, and percentages for parts of a whole. Mathematicians go further with integers and rational and irrational numbers. The type you use depends on whether you are counting, measuring, or labelling something.
What is an example of a number?
Any value used to count, measure, or label qualifies — the 3 in 'three apples', the 98.6 on a thermometer, or the 7 on a football shirt. These show the three main jobs numbers do: counting how many, measuring how much, and labelling which one.
Example sentences
Real-world examples showing number in context, drawn from published sources. Any opinions expressed are those of the original source and do not reflect the views of FreeDict.com.
The real number of species sharing this planet with us seems to be much bigger than we thought.
From
Popular Mechanics · Feb 18, 2026
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