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

Laura Love and Lisa Love are dressed to the nines in black and white. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026

Middleburg also dresses to the nines for the holiday season, with festivities kicking off the first weekend of December during a multiday affair known as Christmas in Middleburg. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026

Cameron Diaz kicked off the new year by getting glammed to the nines for a rare red carpet appearance on Friday. —Lara Walsh, InStyle, 10 Jan. 2026

Evelyn is stunned to see Norma, dressed to the nines, sitting at the end of a very long dining room table. —Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026

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