How to Use figure in a Sentence

figure

1 of 2 noun
  • Are you sure of your figures?
  • 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.
  • I came up with a very different figure.
  • The company had yearly sales figures of half a million units.
  • No precise figures are available yet.
  • The full-year figure is now on track to come in as the lowest of the decade, according to the report.
    Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 18 July 2023
  • But that figure jumped to 50% under the latest labor deal with the league.
    Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
  • The two were listed as notable figures on the city’s website.
    Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 3 Feb. 2024
  • The men were tiny figures appearing mostly in a small corner of the screen.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023
  • Prices range from a few hundred to four figures depending on the brand, size, and more.
    Meg Donohue, Town & Country, 31 May 2023
  • Fortune took a look at some of the key figures setting the A.I. agenda through their work and their viewpoints.
    Byandrea Guzman, Fortune, 13 June 2023
  • This movie lacks a Merrin figure the way a fat-free muffin lacks zest.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2023
  • The tension between these two is ripe with discord, and Jann, the go-for-your-dream hero, is very much a figure of our time.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Aug. 2023
  • Ohnn is now an all-white figure with splotchy black-hole ink blots on his body that turn out to be portals to the multiverse.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 May 2023
  • None of those come cheap, of course, but lots of people will be looking up to the princess as a figure of aspiration.
    Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2023
  • The president’s campaign figures to be a much rarer sight as the election nears.
    Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023
  • But there was a new reason to gasp: A black-robed figure was creeping up behind Madonna.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2023
  • Larger than life, these figures are iconic heroes, and sometimes look the part.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
  • The figure hovered around less than 1 percent in years before the pandemic.
    Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2023
  • The Jaguars’ defensive line has been arguably the strongest position group on the team in each of the last two seasons, and figures to again carry the load in 2023.
    Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 9 Aug. 2023
  • Some shoppers earn six figures and want to buy their groceries online.
    Bysheryl Estrada, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2023
  • The form-fitting number also had a peek-a-boo effect that showed off the actress’ figure and her nude bodysuit.
    Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 26 Dec. 2023
  • Initial offers from the companies fell far short of those figures.
    Tom Krisher and David Koenig The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2023
  • In other words, that 45 percent figure could be much higher.
    Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2023
  • In the four years since its unveiling, Tesla has moved away from these figures, which are no longer featured on the Cybertruck order page.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 July 2023
  • And as Culpo, 31, cuts a stylish figure along the sidelines and in suites at 49ers games, McCaffrey’s model fiancée has also helped the athlete with his style game.
    Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024
  • That figure is slightly lower than the previous two years.
    Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023
  • Browne has been an omnipresent cultural figure over the last several years, dressing a host of hot young stars.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2023
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figure

2 of 2 verb
  • She figures to finish by noon.
  • The debate over tax rates figured prominently in the last election.
  • The Vikings figure to get a first-round bye and a home game in the Div.
    Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023
  • Your brain goes through a bunch of hoops to figure it out.
    Ayana Underwood, SELF, 14 Feb. 2024
  • That figures to be the script in this matchup, with the Falcons pulling away in the second half.
    Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
  • Palmer, 77, figures his time in the sun has caught up to him later in life.
    Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2023
  • Scientists figured it out, and broke a world record in the process.
    Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
  • The answers are hard to nail down — with no time to wase in figuring them out.
    Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Does Musk and the Tesla team have the ability to figure this stuff out?
    Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024
  • At the plate, though, is where it’s been more of a grind, with the power hitter still trying to figure it out.
    Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023
  • See our guide to streaming services to figure which is best for you.
    Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
  • Just last year, Marsh was a rookie trying to figure things out.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
  • If the 76ers were to take advantage of their chance, Friday night figured to be their best shot.
    Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 6 May 2023
  • The first lady figured most Americans would say no if the matter were put to a vote.
    Adam Hochschild, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Oct. 2023
  • But anyone equipped with an iPhone and Google could figure it out in less than 30 seconds.
    Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Whitlock wanted to come back as soon as possible, and the Red Sox figured this was the best way to do so.
    Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
  • Bard packed up, flew home, and figured that the experiment might be over.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023
  • But on a day like Sunday when things aren’t perfect, good teams figure it out -- not always, but most of the time.
    Dan Labbe, cleveland, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Vic Johnson, who’s amazing and has figured all this stuff out.
    Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2023
  • Fans figured that Blake and Lil Yachty could have something in the stash when a photo of them in the studio went viral last March.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 14 Feb. 2024
  • Paul figured Jesse would be able to handle that part just fine — Jesse had had the flu recently, in fact — but there was more to it.
    AZCentral.com, 26 June 2023
  • The 3x3 women figure to retain their title while the men should be good for at least silver.
    John Powers, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
  • There are different kinds of Cal Grants, but students don’t have to figure that out.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
  • Caught in the middle is that game against the Cardinals, which figures to be more difficult to sell.
    Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
  • The marching orders were: Get to Oklahoma and figure a plan out.
    Esther Zuckerman, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2024
  • He’s never won more than eight games in a season but figures to top that, and the Phillies are expecting many more.
    Dan Gelston, Baltimore Sun, 9 Aug. 2023
  • Mayden doesn’t figure to be under siege this week against Boise State.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Feels like the pop star is still figuring her way through the male gaze (with a healthy dose of her own product placement for good measure).
    Vulture, 31 Jan. 2024
  • But tropical storms do not often figure on the list of the state’s disasters.
    Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023
  • In matchups with others fighting for playoff spots, the others figured it out.
    Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023

Some of 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.

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