number
A mathematical value or figure
A word or sign that shows how many or how much.
[a/an/the] number [of something]
- She wrote down his phone number.
- The winning number was drawn last night.
- There are a large number of tourists in the city this summer.
- Please choose a random number between 1 and 10.
- He mistyped the number on the form.
- My phone number is easy to remember.
- Seven is my lucky number.
- Write your student number here.
- We need a big number of chairs.
- The ticket has a special number.
A quantity of people or things
How many people or things there are.
a number of [plural noun]
- A number of students were late today.
- There are a large number of cars on the road.
- We discussed a number of important issues.
- The police reported a small number of incidents.
- She has won a number of awards.
- A number of people are in the park.
- There are a large number of books here.
- We saw a small number of birds.
- He has a number of friends.
- A number of shops are closed today.
To give numbers to items
To give numbers to things in order.
to number [items] [in order]
- Please number the pages before you hand in your essay.
- The seats in the theater are numbered from 1 to 100.
- Number each question clearly on your answer sheet.
- We numbered the boxes for easy identification.
- Each chapter is numbered sequentially.
- Please number the pages of your book.
- Number each picture from one to five.
- The chairs are numbered for the guests.
- Number the boxes before moving them.
- I will number the steps for you.
A song or act in a show
A short piece of music, dance, or acting in a show.
- The band played their most popular number at the end of the concert.
- Her solo dance number was the highlight of the evening.
- They opened with a lively jazz number.
- The comedy number had everyone laughing.
- He performed a touching piano number.
- They sang a happy number on stage.
- The first number was very fast.
- We saw a dance number at the show.
- The last number was slow and sad.
- He played his best number for us.
An attractive person (slang)
(Informal) A very good-looking person.
- Wow, she's quite a number!
- He's really a handsome number, isn't he?
- That new guy is some number!
- She is quite a number.
- He is a real number in that suit.
- That woman is some number!
- Base: number
- Plural: number, numbers
- Base: number
- 3rd Person Singular: numbers
- Present Participle: numbering
- Past: numbered
a number of
1Several; more than one but not many specified
More than one but not an exact amount.
- A number of people called to complain.
- We visited a number of cities during our trip.
by the numbers
1Following instructions exactly and mechanically
Doing something exactly by the rules, without change or creativity.
- The team played it by the numbers and won easily.
- He cooks strictly by the numbers, following every recipe step.
do a number on [someone/something]
1Cause serious harm or damage to someone/something (informal)
To hurt or damage someone or something badly.
- That storm really did a number on our house.
- She did a number on her ankle during practice.
numbers game
1Activity dependent on manipulating statistics/probabilities
A situation where success depends on numbers and statistics, not single events.
- Politics can be a numbers game sometimes.
- Sales is often just a numbers game—call enough people and you'll get results.
strength in numbers
1Power comes from being in a group
It is safer or easier to succeed when many people work together.
- Protesters knew they had strength in numbers.
- We joined forces, believing in strength in numbers.