number

/ˈnʌmbər/

/ˈnʌmbə/

Other forms: numbers; numbered; numbering

When you consider any amount or measurement, you use a number, like 1, 2, 3, 75, or 998,837,211.

This math-y word has many uses. Playing the numbers is an illegal form of gambling, and number crunchers are accountants. If you're looking out for number one, you're thinking of yourself. When you number something, you're counting it. A number is a song in a musical or concert. If someone "has your number," they know you well. Getting someone's number also means getting their phone number. If your days are numbered, it means you know you're going to die soon.

Definitions of number

1. noun

   a concept of quantity involving zero and units
   “every number has a unique position in the sequence”

   types:

   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

   decimal

   a number in the decimal system

   constant

   a number representing a quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context

   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

   cardinality

   (mathematics) the number of elements in a set or group (considered as a property of that grouping)

   count

   the total number counted

   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

   record

   the number of wins versus losses and ties a team has had

   compound number

   a quantity expressed in two different units

   no., ordinal, ordinal number

   the number designating place in an ordered sequence

   cardinal, cardinal number

   the number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order

   base, radix

   (numeration system) the positive integer that is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place

   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

   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 or their negatives or zero

   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

   difference, remainder

   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

   cube, third power

   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

   multiplier, multiplier factor

   the number by which a multiplicand is multiplied

   multiplicand

   the number that is multiplied by the multiplier

   bowling score

   the score in a bowling match

   football score

   the score in a football game

   baseball score

   the score of a baseball game

   basketball score

   the score in a basketball game

   Cartesian coordinate

   one of the coordinates in a system of coordinates that locates a point on a plane or in space by its distance from two lines or three planes respectively; the two lines or the intersections of the three planes are the coordinate axes

   polar coordinate

   either of two values that locate a point on a plane by its distance from a fixed pole and its angle from a fixed line passing through the pole

   characteristic

   the integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression log 643 = 2.808 the characteristic is 2

   deflator

   a statistical factor designed to remove the effect of inflation; inflation adjusted variables are in constant dollars

   balance

   the difference between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account

   Avogadro number, Avogadro's number

   the number of molecules in a mole of a substance (approximately 602,250,000,000,000,000,000,000)

   Boltzmann's constant

   constant used in the calculation of the ideal gas constant

   coefficient

   a constant number that serves as a measure of some property or characteristic

   cosmological constant

   an arbitrary constant in the equations of general relativity theory

   equilibrium constant

   (chemistry) the ratio of concentrations when equilibrium is reached in a reversible reaction (when the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction)

   R, gas constant, universal gas constant

   (physics) the universal constant in the gas equation: pressure times volume = R times temperature; equal to 8.3143 joules per kelvin per mole

   G, constant of gravitation, gravitational constant, universal gravitational constant

   (physics) the universal constant relating force to mass and distance in Newton's law of gravitation

   Hubble constant, Hubble parameter, Hubble's constant, Hubble's parameter

   (cosmology) the ratio of the speed of recession of a galaxy (due to the expansion of the universe) to its distance from the observer; the Hubble constant is not actually a constant, but is regarded as measuring the expansion rate today

   ionic charge

   the charge on an ion is equal to a constant charge e multiplied by an integer from 1 to 15

   complement

   a complete number or quantity

   blood count

   the number of red and white corpuscles in a blood sample

   body count

   a count of troops killed in an operation or time period

   circulation

   number of copies of a newspaper or magazine that are sold

   circulation

   (library science) the count of books that are loaned by a library over a specified period

   head count, headcount

   number of people in a particular group

   pollen count

   the number of pollen grains (usually ragweed) in a standard volume of air over a twenty-four hour period and a specified time and place

   sperm count

   the number of sperm in an ejaculate

   conversion factor

   factor by which a quantity that is expressed in one set of units must be multiplied in order to convert it into another set of units

   constant of proportionality, factor of proportionality

   the constant value of the ratio of two proportional quantities x and y; usually written y = kx, where k is the factor of proportionality

   prime number

   an integer that has no integral factors but itself and 1

   stroke

   (golf) the unit of scoring in golf is the act of hitting the ball with a club

   birdie

   (golf) a score of one stroke under par on a hole

   bogey

   (golf) a score of one stroke over par on a hole

   deficit

   (sports) the score by which a team or individual is losing

   double-bogey

   (golf) a score of two strokes over par for a hole

   duck, duck's egg

   (cricket) a score of nothing by a batsman

   eagle

   (golf) a score of two strokes under par on a hole

   double eagle

   (golf) a score of three strokes under par on a hole

   game

   (games) the score at a particular point or the score needed to win

   lead

   (sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning

   love

   a score of zero in tennis or squash

   match

   the score needed to win a match

   par

   (golf) the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course

   first, number 1, number one

   the first element in a countable series

   absolute frequency, frequency

   the number of observations in a given statistical category

   googol

   a cardinal number represented as 1 followed by 100 zeros (ten raised to the power of a hundred)

   googolplex

   a cardinal number represented as 1 followed by a googol of zeros (ten raised to the power of a googol)

   magic number

   the atomic number of an extra stable strongly bound atomic nucleus: 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82 or 126

   complex conjugate

   either of two complex numbers whose real parts are identical and whose imaginary parts differ only in sign

   real, real number

   any rational or irrational number

   pure imaginary number

   an imaginary number of the form a+bi where a is 0

   square root

   a number that when multiplied by itself equals a given number

   cube root

   a number that when multiplied three times equals a given number

   numerator

   the dividend of a fraction

   denominator

   the divisor of a fraction

   divisor, factor

   one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer

   scale factor

   a number used as a multiplier in scaling

   aliquot, aliquot part

   an integer that is an exact divisor of some quantity

   aliquant, aliquant part

   an integer that is not an exact divisor of some quantity

   common multiple

   an integer that is a multiple of two or more other integers

   modulus

   an integer that can be divided without remainder into the difference between two other integers

   digit, figure

   one of the elements that collectively form a system of numeration

   large integer

   an integer equal to or greater than ten

   double digit

   a two-digit integer; from 10 to 99

   population

   the number of inhabitants (either the total number or the number of a particular race or class) in a given place (country or city etc.)

   c, light speed, speed of light

   the speed at which light travels in a vacuum; the constancy and universality of the speed of light is recognized by defining it to be exactly 299,792,458 meters per second

   type of:

   definite quantity

   a specific measure of amount
2. noun

   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”

   synonyms: figure

   types:

   multiplicity, numerosity, numerousness

   a large number

   preponderance, prevalence

   a superiority in numbers or amount

   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

   minority

   being or relating to the smaller in number of two parts

   fewness

   the quality of being small in number

   roundness

   the quality of being round numbers

   multitudinousness

   a very large number (especially of people)

   type of:

   amount

   the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion
3. noun

   a symbol used to represent a number
   synonyms: numeral

   types:

   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

   type of:

   symbol

   an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
4. verb

   add up in number or quantity
   synonyms: add up, amount, come, total

   types:

   work out

   be calculated

   outnumber

   be larger in number

   average, average out

   amount to or come to an average, without loss or gain

   make

   add up to

   type of:

   be

   have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
5. verb

   enumerate
   “We must number the names of the great mathematicians”

   synonyms: list

   types:

   itemise, itemize

   place on a list of items

   type of:

   identify, name

   give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property
6. verb

   give numbers to
   “You should number the pages of the thesis”

   types:

   foliate, page, paginate

   number the pages of a book or manuscript

   type of:

   denominate, designate

   assign a name or title to
7. verb

   determine the number or amount of
   synonyms: count, enumerate, numerate

   types:

   recount

   count again

   miscount

   count wrongly

   census

   conduct a census

   add, add together, add up, sum, sum up, summate, tally, tot, tot up, total, tote up

   determine the sum of

   type of:

   ascertain, determine, find, find out

   establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
8. verb

   put into a group
   synonyms: count

   type of:

   assort, class, classify, separate, sort, sort out

   arrange or order by classes or categories
9. verb

   place a limit on the number of
   synonyms: keep down

   type of:

   circumscribe, confine, limit

   restrict or confine
10. noun

    a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program
    “it was one of the best numbers he ever did”

    synonyms: act, bit, routine, turn

    types:

    show-stopper, showstopper, stopper

    an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down

    type of:

    performance, public presentation

    a dramatic or musical entertainment
11. noun

    one of a series published periodically
    synonyms: issue

    types:

    edition

    an issue of a newspaper

    extra

    an additional edition of a newspaper (usually to report a crisis)

    type of:

    periodical

    a publication that appears at fixed intervals
12. noun

    a numeral or string of numerals that is used for identification
    “she refused to give them her Social Security number”

    synonyms: identification number

    types:

    ABA transit number, BIN, bank identification number

    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

    PIN, PIN number, personal identification number

    a number you choose and use to gain access to various accounts

    type of:

    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
13. noun

    the number is used in calling a particular telephone
    “he has an unlisted number”

    synonyms: phone number, telephone number

    type of:

    sign, signal, signaling

    any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
14. noun

    a clothing measurement
    “a number 13 shoe”

    type of:

    size

    the property resulting from being one of a series of graduated measurements (as of clothing)
15. noun

    a select company of people
    “I hope to become one of their number before I die”

    type of:

    company

    a social gathering of guests or companions
16. noun

    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”

    type of:

    grammatical category, syntactic category

    (grammar) a category of words having the same grammatical properties
17. noun

    an item of merchandise offered for sale
    “she preferred the black nylon number”

    “this sweater is an all-wool number”

    type of:

    merchandise, product, ware

    commodities offered for sale