nine

noun

ˈnīn 

1

: a number that is one more than eight see Table of Numbers

2

: the ninth in a set or series

wears a nine

3

: something having nine units or members: such as

a

Nine : the nine Muses

b

: a baseball team

c

: the first or last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course

nine adjective

nine pronoun, plural in construction

see also to the nines

Examples of nine in a Sentence

The next card was the nine of diamonds.

She wears a size nine.

“What time is it?” “It's nine.”

He woke up at nine this morning.

Recent Examples on the Web

André loved dressing to the nines on campus with his custom suits, capes, brooches and turbans. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 13 Dec. 2025

Bialik and her onscreen brother, Joey Lawrence, were dressed to the nines for the 17th Annual People's Choice Awards in 1991. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025

For over 30 years current owner Van Eure, the daughter of one of the original owners Thad Eure, has been decorating the sprawling restaurant to the nines with Christmas decorations. —Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2025

When clues emerge about the possible presence of an interloping snake in town, Judy and Nick, amusingly dressed to the nines, infiltrate the Zootopia Gala hosted by a family of lynxes descended from the city’s founder. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from nyne, adjective, from Old English nigon; akin to Old High German niun nine, Latin novem, Greek ennea

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nine

• a stitch in time (saves nine)
• back nine
• cat-o'-nine-tails
• cloud nine
• front nine
• nine days' wonder
• nine times out of ten
• nine-to-five job
• nine-to-fiver
• ninety-nine times out of a hundred
• ninety/ninety-nine percent of the time
• on cloud nine
• sixty-nine
• the whole nine yards

Rhymes for nine

• brine
• cline
• dine
• fein
• fine
• gwine
• hine
• jain
• klein
• kline
• line
• mine

Kids Definition

nine

noun

ˈnīn 

1

: a number that is one more than eight see number

2

: the ninth in a set or series

3

: a baseball team

nine adjective or pronoun