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

That’s no excuse not to dress to the nines, so says Sofía Vergara, who turned a $1,000 steak dinner at Papi Steak in Miami into a full-on family celebration. —Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026

Liverpool had to beat off competition from Manchester City before Abe signed for their under-nines. —James Pearce, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026

Senior Georgia Downs scored two goals and junior Cassidy McCallon made nines saves for Northwood, an at-large entry from the Pacific Coast League. —Dan Albano, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026

The 2026 Detroit Auto Show Charity Preview Gala brought out hundreds of the region’s high society and business elite, dressed to the nines and ready to mingle for good causes. —Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 16 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