figure

1 of 2

noun

fig·​ure ˈfi-gyər How to pronounce figure (audio)
 British and often US  ˈfi-gər
1
a
: a number symbol : numeral, digit
b
figures plural : arithmetical calculations
good at figures
c
: a written or printed character
d
: value especially as expressed in numbers : sum, price
sold at a low figure
e
figures plural : digits representing an amount (as of money earned or points scored)
made six figures last year
a score in double figures
2
a
: a geometric form (such as a line, triangle, or sphere) especially when considered as a set of geometric elements (such as points) in space of a given number of dimensions
a square is a plane figure
b
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
a slender figure
c
: an object noticeable only as a shape or form
figures moving in the dusk
3
a
: the graphic representation of a form especially of a person or geometric entity
a figure of a girl with pigtails
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration of textual matter
figures that illustrate various moves in chess
4
: a person, thing, or action representative of another
Adam … who is the figure of him who was to comeRomans 5:14 (King James Version)
5
a
: figure of speech
Find the similes and other figures in the poem.
b
: an intentional deviation from the ordinary form or syntactical relation of words
6
: the form of a syllogism with respect to the relative position of the middle term
7
: an often repetitive pattern or design in a manufactured article (such as cloth) or natural product (such as wood)
a polka-dot figure
8
: appearance made : impression produced
the couple cut quite a figure
9
a
: a series of movements in a dance
Bowing to your partner is one of the figures in square dancing.
b
: an outline representation of a form traced by a series of evolutions (as with skates on an ice surface or by an airplane in the air)
10
: a prominent personality : personage
great figures of history
11
: a short coherent group of notes or chords that may constitute part of a phrase, theme, or composition

figure

2 of 2

verb

figured; figuring ˈfi-gyə-riŋ How to pronounce figure (audio)
ˈfi-g(ə-)riŋ

transitive verb

1
: to represent by or as if by a figure or outline
2
: to decorate with a pattern
also : to write figures over or under (the bass) in order to indicate the accompanying chords
3
: to indicate or represent by numerals
4
a
b
: conclude, decide
figured there was no use in further effort
also : assume
figure it will rain
d
: to appear likely
figures to win

intransitive verb

1
a
: to be or appear important or conspicuous
b
: to be involved or implicated
figured in a robbery
2
: to perform a figure in dancing
3
4
: to seem rational, normal, or expected
that figures
5
: to make sense of something
used interjectionally in the phrase go figure to suggest that something is surprising or perplexing
why do they think women will buy this lie? Go figureEllen Bravo
figurer noun
Phrases
figure on
1
: to take into consideration
figuring on the extra income
2
: to rely on
3
: plan
I figure on going into town

Examples of figure in a Sentence

Noun Are you sure of your figures? I came up with a very different figure. No precise figures are available yet. The company had yearly sales figures of half a million units. We could barely make out some figures moving in the mist. The vase is decorated with figures of birds and fish. The walls of the cave are covered with drawings of human and animal figures. a collection of bronze figures Verb “They lost.” “I figured as much.” She figures to finish by noon. The debate over tax rates figured prominently in the last election.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Since its launch, the express line has seen about 2,500 riders and 10 percent are within Imperial Beach, according to agency figures. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 Sandy Koufax did too, emerging as the preeminent figure of the team’s early Los Angeles years with his three Cy Young Awards, five ERA titles and four World Series rings before an early retirement at age 30. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Cocoa inventories are expected to cover just 31.4 percent of processing demand, a 40-year low, down from this year’s already tight 35.1 percent figure, according to ICCO. David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The family’s central figure is Lou’s dad, aptly named Lou Sr. (Ed Harris)—a stringy-haired gangster who owns Lou’s gym and a nearby gun range, and is involved in plenty of extralegal business. David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 The figure at the heart of the story is an unlikely hero, a quiet man whose obvious lack of strength belies a deeper courage and stubborn determination. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 January’s figures were down almost 13% from 2023’s January. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 Felix’s vinyl figure, inspired by the same scene, features the charming college student in a white tank top, blue jeans and his symbolic angel wings. Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 And based on Goldman Sachs calculations, even if the actual figure winds up being closer to 35 million, this could boost productivity sufficiently to increase gross domestic product by 0.4%. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
In the third, Doncic started figuring the Warriors out. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Does Musk and the Tesla team have the ability to figure this stuff out? Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Longview is a small city in the east Texas oil patch; presumably its chamber was recruited because the plaintiffs figured that its presence would give them standing to sue in the federal district court in Tyler, which has two judges, both appointed by Donald Trump, including Barker. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Dead family members figure most prominently, and by contrast, visions involving religious themes are exceedingly rare. Phoebe Zerwick, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 With O’Connell’s encouragement, Eilish figured it out and tapped in from her own emotions. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 The industry’s critics counter that nationwide figures mask clustering in particular regions — and within regions, in particular cities, or even neighborhoods. Calmatters, Orange County Register, 7 Mar. 2024 After most of the U.S. adopted the Uniform Time Act, Arizona figured that there wasn't a good reason to adjust clocks to make sunset occur an hour later during the hottest months of the year, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 Arizona once again figures to be a critical presidential battleground state. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'figure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "shape, form, likeness, symbol, design, written character," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin figūra "shape, form, outward appearance, likeness, nonliteral form of speech," from fig-, variant stem of fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be" + -ūra -ure — more at feign

Verb

Middle English figuren "to shape, represent symbolically, prefigure," borrowed from Anglo-French figurer, borrowed from Latin figūrāre "to shape, form, make a likeness of, represent," verbal derivative of figūra "shape, figure entry 1"

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of figure was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near figure

Cite this Entry

“Figure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figure. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

figure

1 of 2 noun
fig·​ure ˈfig-yər How to pronounce figure (audio)
 British and often US  ˈfig-ər
1
b
plural : arithmetic sense 2
a good head for figures
2
a
: the shape or outline of something
b
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
3
a
: something that represents a form especially of a person
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration
c
: a combination of points, lines, or surfaces in geometry
a circle is a closed plane figure
4
5

figure

2 of 2 verb
figured; figuring ˈfig-yə-riŋ How to pronounce figure (audio)
ˈfig(-ə)-
1
: to decorate with a pattern
2
: believe sense 5, decide
figured we might win
3
: to be or appear important
figure in the news
4
figurer noun

Medical Definition

figure

noun
fig·​ure
ˈfig-yər, British & often US ˈfig-ər
1
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
a slender figure
2
a
: the graphic representation of a form especially of a person
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration of textual matter
3
: a person who is representative of or serves as a psychological substitute for someone or something else see father figure

More from Merriam-Webster on figure

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