Number — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈnəm-bər/ num·ber

Meaning & Definition of Number

Number (noun)

  1. a sum of units, total
  2. complement
  3. an indefinite usually large total

Number (verb)

  1. count, enumerate
  2. to claim as part of a total, include
  3. to restrict to a definite number

Number (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a character used to represent a mathematical value

    "asked him to write out the equation in numbers, not letters"

    similar: digit, figure, integer, numeral, numeric, whole number
    related: decimal, fraction, cipher, symbol

  2. a literary, musical, or artistic production

    "a doomsday novel that turns out to be one of those it-was-all-a-dream numbers"

    similar: composition, opus, piece, work
    related: classic, magnum opus, masterpiece, pièce de résistance, showpiece, model, outline, sketch, étude, canon, corpus, oeuvre

  3. a performance regularly presented by an individual or group

    "a modern dance number"

    similar: act, bit, routine, shtick, turn
    related: signature

  4. a person of no importance or influence

    "doesn't want to go to some mammoth state university where she would be just a number"

    similar: cipher, dwarf, half-pint, insect, insignificancy, lightweight, morsel, nobody, nonentity, nothing, nullity, pip-squeak, pygmy, snippersnapper, twerp, whippersnapper, zero, zilch
    related: no-name, noncelebrity, least, inferior, mediocrity, obscurity, figurehead, puppet, nonperson, unperson, outcast, pariah, reject
    opposite: big shot, big wheel, bigwig, eminence, figure, kahuna, kingpin, magnate, nabob, personage, somebody, VIP
    near: chief, head, lead, leader, celebrity, luminary, notable, personality, planet, star, superstar, authority, superior, great power, party, power

  5. an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness

    "a stunning gymnastics number that really impressed the judges"

    similar: deed, exploit, feat, stunt, tour de force, trick
    related: accomplishment, achievement, attainment, coup, success, triumph, adventure, performance

  6. 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"

    similar: arithmetic, calculation, calculus, ciphering, computation, figures, figuring, math, mathematics, number crunching, reckoning
    related: addition, division, multiplication, subtraction, calibration, measurement, mensuration, appraisal, assessment, estimation, evaluation, valuation

Number (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: count, enumerate, tell
    related: add (up), tally, total, calculate, compute, reckon, table, tabulate, check, mark, tick (off), recount

  2. to have a total of

    "the full-time staff numbers 30 people"

    similar: add up (to), aggregate, amount (to), come (to), count (up to), sum (to or into), total, clock in at
    related: average, equal, measure, reach, compose, comprise, constitute, make up

  3. to have as part of a whole

    "is numbered among the great minds of our times"

    similar: carry, comprehend, contain, embrace, encompass, entail, include, involve, subsume, take in
    related: comprise, consist (of), bracket, have, hold, own, possess, admit, receive, compose, constitute, form, make, assimilate, embody, incorporate, integrate
    opposite: exclude, leave (out), miss out (British), omit
    near: ban, bar, debar, preclude, prevent, prohibit, deny, refuse, reject, eliminate, except, rule out, lose, mislay, misplace

Related Entry: Numb (adjective)

Numb is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for numb, not for number.

  1. lacking in sensation or feeling

    "I've been sitting in the same position for too long and now my feet are numb"

    similar: asleep, benumbed, dead, insensitive, numbed, torpid, unfeeling
    related: chilled, nipped, anesthetized, cocainized, deadened, drugged, stupefied, blunted, dulled, obtunded, insensible, senseless, unconscious, inanimate, insensate
    opposite: feeling, sensible, sensitive
    near: awake

  2. not expressing any emotion

    "apparently in shock, he answered the police officer's questions with a numb expression on his face"

    similar: blank, catatonic, deadpan, empty, expressionless, impassive, inexpressive, stolid, vacant
    related: dull, vacuous, vague, vapid, enigmatic, impenetrable, inscrutable, mysterious, motionless, static, still, wooden, reserved, restrained, reticent, taciturn, aloof, apathetic, cold, cool, detached, indifferent, phlegmatic, unresponsive
    opposite: demonstrative, expressive
    near: engaged, interested, responsive, active, alive, animated, bright, busy, dynamic, effervescent, energetic, expansive, exuberant, lively, vivacious, eloquent, revealing, revelatory, gestic, gesticulant, gesticulative, gesticulatory, gestural, emotional, melodramatic, theatrical, unreserved, unrestrained

  3. not feeling or showing emotion

    "years of physical and emotional abuse had rendered the woman numb and withdrawn"

    similar: affectless, apathetic, cold-blooded, emotionless, impassible, impassive, passionless, phlegmatic, stoic, stolid, undemonstrative, unemotional
    related: cold, cool, dispassionate, unmoved, calm, collected, composed, imperturbable, unflappable, reserved, reticent, taciturn, bland, blank, deadpan, dry, empty, expressionless, inexpressive, stone-faced, straight-faced, vacant, wooden, enigmatic, impenetrable, inscrutable, aloof, bloodless, detached, indifferent, insensible, unconcerned, unsentimental, impersonal, objective, unresponsive, hard-hearted, pitiless, unfeeling, inconsiderate, thoughtless
    opposite: demonstrative, emotional, fervent, fervid, hot-blooded, impassioned, passional, passionate, vehement
    near: blazing, burning, fiery, flaming, glowing, red-hot, ardent, enthusiastic, gung ho, warm-blooded, zealous, gushing, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, sentimental, dramatic, histrionic, melodramatic, overemotional, overheated, perfervid, compassionate, responsive, sympathetic, reactive, sensitive

Related Entry: Number crunching (noun)

Number crunching is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for number crunching, not for number.

  1. the act or process of performing mathematical operations to find a value

    "he did a little number crunching and made an offer on the house"

    similar: arithmetic, calculation, calculus, ciphering, computation, figures, figuring, math, mathematics, numbers, reckoning
    related: addition, division, multiplication, subtraction, calibration, measurement, mensuration, appraisal, assessment, estimation, evaluation, valuation

Related Entry: Number one (adjective)

Number one is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for number one, not for number.

  1. coming before all others in importance

    "considers international terrorism to be the number one threat to national security"

    similar: arch, big, capital, cardinal, central, chief, dominant, first, foremost, grand, great, greatest, highest, key, leading, main, master, numero uno, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, paramount, predominant, preeminent, premier, primal, primary, principal, prior, sovereign, supreme
    related: distinguished, eminent, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, prestigious, signal, star, stellar, superior, high-level, senior, top, important, influential, major, mighty, momentous, significant, incomparable, matchless, unequaled, unparalleled, unsurpassed, celebrated, famed, famous, renowned
    opposite: last, least
    near: inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, minor, negligible, slight, trifling, trivial, unimportant, collateral, inferior, secondary, subordinate, subsidiary

  2. of the very best kind

    "the company's chocolate is rated as number one by serious chocoholics"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Related Entry: Number crunchings (noun)

Number crunchings is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for number crunchings, not for number.

  1. the act or process of performing mathematical operations to find a value

    "he did a little number crunching and made an offer on the house"

    similar: arithmetics, calculations, calculi, computations, figures, mathematics, maths, numbers, reckonings
    related: additions, divisions, multiplications, subtractions, calibrations, measurements, mensurations, appraisals, assessments, estimations, evaluations, valuations

Related Entry: Whole number (noun)

Whole number is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for whole number, not for number.

  1. a character used to represent a mathematical value

    "since percentages have been rounded off to whole numbers, the total will not be exactly equal to 100%"

    similar: digit, figure, integer, number, numeral, numeric
    related: decimal, fraction, cipher, symbol

Related Entry: Beyond number (phrase)

Beyond number is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for beyond number, not for number.

  1. too many to be counted

    "The apples the tree produced this year were beyond number."

    similar: countless, innumerable, innumerous, myriad, numberless, uncountable, uncounted, unnumbered, untold
    related: endless, infinite, unlimited, vast, many, multitudinous, numerous
    opposite: countable, enumerable, numberable
    near: finite, limited

Related Entry: Do a number on (phrase)

Do a number on is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for do a number on, not for number.

  1. to cause to believe what is untrue

    "The scammers really did a number on some unsuspecting homeowners."

    similar: bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on (chiefly British), hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, sucker, suck in, take in, trick, lead one down the garden path, pull one's leg, pull the wool over one's eyes
    related: kid, put on, tease, bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, fleece, flimflam, gyp, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle
    opposite: undeceive
    near: debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask, disclose, divulge, tell, unveil, disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

Related Entry: Done a number on (phrase)

Done a number on is a different word from Number. The synonyms below are for done a number on, not for number.

  1. to cause to believe what is untrue

    "The scammers really did a number on some unsuspecting homeowners."

    similar: bamboozled, beguiled, bluffed, buffaloed, burned, caught, conned, cozened, deceived, deluded, duped, faked out, fooled, gaffed, gammoned, gulled, had, had on (chiefly British), hoaxed, hoodwinked, hornswoggled, humbugged, juggled, misguided, misinformed, misled, snookered, snowed, spoofed, strung along, sucked in, suckered, taken in, tricked, led one down the garden path, pulled one's leg, pulled the wool over one's eyes
    related: kidded, put on, teased, bled, cheated, chiseled, defrauded, diddled, euchred, fleeced, flimflammed, gypped, hustled, mulcted, rooked, shortchanged, skinned, squeezed, stuck, stung, swindled
    opposite: undeceived
    near: debunked, exposed, revealed, shown up, uncloaked, uncovered, unmasked, disclosed, divulged, told, unveiled, disabused, disenchanted, disillusioned

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Number

The most common words with a similar meaning to Number:

digit, figure, integer, numeral, numeric, whole number, composition, opus, piece, work, act, bit, routine, shtick, turn, cipher, dwarf, half-pint, insect, insignificancy, lightweight, morsel, nobody, nonentity, nothing, nullity, pip-squeak, pygmy, snippersnapper, twerp, whippersnapper, zero, zilch, deed, exploit, feat, stunt, tour de force, trick, arithmetic

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Number

Words with the opposite meaning of Number:

big shot, big wheel, bigwig, eminence, figure, kahuna, kingpin, magnate, nabob, personage, somebody, VIP, exclude, leave (out), miss out, omit

Related Words for Number

decimal, fraction, symbol, classic, magnum opus, masterpiece, pièce de résistance, showpiece, model, outline, sketch, étude, canon, corpus, oeuvre, signature, no-name, noncelebrity, least, inferior, mediocrity, obscurity, figurehead, puppet, nonperson, unperson, outcast, pariah, reject, accomplishment

Near Antonyms of Number

chief, head, lead, leader, celebrity, luminary, notable, personality, planet, star, superstar, authority, superior, great power, party, power, ban, bar, debar, preclude, prevent, prohibit, deny, refuse, reject, eliminate, except, rule out, lose, mislay

Word Forms of Number

Inflections: numbered, numbering

Derived words: numberable (adjective), numberer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Number

Middle English nombre, numbre, noumer, borrowed from Anglo-French nombre, numbre (also continental Old French nombre), going back to Latin numerus "numerical sum or symbol, quantity, aggregate" nimble

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Number

Words & Phrases Containing Number

number cruncher, number line, number one, number plate, number theory, number two

Frequently Asked Questions about Number

What does "Number" mean?

"Number" means a sum of units, total. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a sum of units, total. It has 9 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Number"?

Other words for "Number" include digit, figure, integer, numeral, numeric, whole number, composition and opus. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Number" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Number"?

There are 153 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Number". Common alternatives include digit, figure, integer, numeral, numeric, whole number, composition, opus, piece and work.

What is the opposite of "Number"?

Antonyms of "Number" include big shot, big wheel, bigwig, eminence, figure, kahuna, kingpin and magnate. Near antonyms include chief, head, lead and leader.

How do you use "Number" in a sentence?

Examples of "Number" in a sentence: "asked him to write out the equation in numbers, not letters"; "a doomsday novel that turns out to be one of those it-was-all-a-dream numbers"; "a modern dance number".

Is "Number" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Number" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Number" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Number" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Number"?

"Number" is pronounced /ˈnəm-bər/ and divided into syllables as num·ber.