number
gb/nˈʌmbɚ/ us/nˈʌmbɚ/
A1
English
~ 200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
quantity
1
A mathematical value or figure
A word or sign that shows how many or how much.
Usage pattern:
[a/an/the] number [of something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'number' with 'digit'; a digit is a single symbol (0–9), while a number can have many digits.
Synonyms
figure (Slightly more formal or technical; often used for statistics or amounts.)
Antonyms
letter (Represents an alphabetic character, not a quantity.)
Collocations
phone number
|large number
|small number
|winning number
|random number
Themes
mathematics
|daily life
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- 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.
Noun
A2
quantity
2
A quantity of people or things
How many people or things there are.
Usage pattern:
a number of [plural noun]
Common mistake:
Learners may incorrectly use 'amount' instead of 'number' for countable nouns.
Synonyms
amount (Used for uncountable nouns; 'number' is for countable nouns.)
Antonyms
none (Indicates zero quantity.)
Collocations
a number of cases
|a number of reasons
|a small number
|a large number
Themes
daily life
|statistics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- 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.
Verb
B1
action
3
To give numbers to items
To give numbers to things in order.
Usage pattern:
to number [items] [in order]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'number' as a verb with 'count'; 'number' means to assign labels, not to determine the total.
Synonyms
enumerate (More formal; often used in legal or technical contexts.)
Antonyms
erase (Remove numbers from something.)
Collocations
number the pages
|number each item
|number the seats
Themes
organization
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- 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.
Noun
B2
event
4
A song or act in a show
A short piece of music, dance, or acting in a show.
Synonyms
act (Can refer to a larger part of a performance, not just one piece.)
Antonyms
intermission (The break between performances.)
Collocations
musical number
|comedy number
|opening number
Themes
entertainment
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- 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.
Noun
informal
C1
entity
5
An attractive person (slang)
(Informal) A very good-looking person.
Synonyms
looker (Informal; emphasizes physical attractiveness.)
Antonyms
plain person (Not considered physically attractive.)
Themes
informal language
|relationships
|emotions
|communication
Examples
- Wow, she's quite a number!
- He's really a handsome number, isn't he?
- That new guy is some number!
Learner examples
- She is quite a number.
- He is a real number in that suit.
- That woman is some number!
Grammar
Dictionary form
number
IPA
GB/nˈʌmbɚ/
US/nˈʌmbɚ/
Syllables & stress
num - ber (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (num)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: number
- Plural: number, numbers
Verb
- Base: number
- 3rd Person Singular: numbers
- Present Participle: numbering
- Past: numbered
Word family
Forms
numbers
noun
numbering
verb
numbered
verb
Related words
outnumber
verb B2
renumber
verb B2
numerically
adverb B2
Negative and opposite forms
innumerable
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
numeracy
noun B2
Expressions
a number of
1/ə nˈʌmbɚ əv/
fixed phrase
Several; more than one but not many specified
More than one but not an exact amount.
Examples
- A number of people called to complain.
- We visited a number of cities during our trip.
by the numbers
1/bˈaɪ ðə nˈʌmbɚz/
idiom
Following instructions exactly and mechanically
Doing something exactly by the rules, without change or creativity.
Examples
- 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]
1/dˈu ə nˈʌmbɚ ˈɔn sˈoʊmˈoʊnsəmˈɛθɪŋ/
idiom
informal
Cause serious harm or damage to someone/something (informal)
To hurt or damage someone or something badly.
Examples
- That storm really did a number on our house.
- She did a number on her ankle during practice.
numbers game
1/nˈʌmbɚz ɡˈeɪm/
idiom
Activity dependent on manipulating statistics/probabilities
A situation where success depends on numbers and statistics, not single events.
Examples
- 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
1/stɹˈɛŋθ ˈɪn nˈʌmbɚz/
idiom
Power comes from being in a group
It is safer or easier to succeed when many people work together.
Examples
- Protesters knew they had strength in numbers.
- We joined forces, believing in strength in numbers.