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outnumber

/ˈaʊtˌnʌmbər/
/aʊtˈnʌmbə/
IPA guide

Other forms: outnumbered; outnumbering; outnumbers

To outnumber is to have more of one thing than another. Sometimes it’s good, like when chocolate chips outnumber the raisins in the trail mix. Sometimes it’s bad, like when ants outnumber the people at a picnic.

In many cities, pigeons seem to outnumber any other kind of bird — in other words, there are more pigeons than sparrows, crows, and robins. If the girls in a class outnumber boys by three to one, there are three times more girls than boys. And in a school cafeteria, lunches that include meat will often outnumber the vegetarian choices. This verb has been around since the 1600s. It makes it sound like counting is a competition.

Definitions of outnumber
  1. verb
    be larger in number
    see moresee less
    type of:
    add up, amount, come, number, total
    add up in number or quantity
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