nine

noun \ ˈnīn \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of nine

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 capitalized : 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

— to the nines

1 : to perfection

2 : in a highly elaborate or showy manner

dressed to the nines

See nine defined for English-language learners

See nine defined for kids

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 of nine from the Web

Scores of fans will flock to the Oregon Convention Center and stroll through the myriad displays of pop culture art and artifacts and, of course, mingle with cosplayers dressed to the nines as various heroes and villains.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "Wizard World Comic Con returns to Portland with celebs, artists and cosplayers in tow," 5 Apr. 2018
Many revelers were dressed to the nines and the parade overflowed with traditional Easter egg baskets, flowers and ribbons.

— luis ferrÉ-sadurnÍ, New York Times, "Only in New York: Easter Parade With Moai Heads and a Kraken," 1 Apr. 2018
Seventh-grader and point guard Scotty Anosier protected the ball from the Defenders' half-court press and dished out a game-high nine assists to go along with his four points en route to the Vikings' win.

— gary curreri, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Vikings boys in seventh heaven with Delray/Boynton league hoops championship," 25 Mar. 2018
Dress to the nines and find your fetish this weekend.

— yoshina okamoto, Anchorage Daily News, "Coming up: Dervish, Step Afrika! and Songs for a Mad King," 23 Mar. 2018
Marist, 7-4, on Saturday Note: Junior midfielder Jack Andrews (St. Mary’s) tripled his goals output for the season by scoring three times, and freshman goalkeeper Tommy Lingner made a game-high nine saves as the Retrievers ended a three-game skid.

— edward lee, baltimoresun.com, "Division I men’s lacrosse week in review for teams in Maryland (March 12)," 12 Mar. 2018
The couple frequently makes a doubly chic case for dressing to the nines; these are two people who, after all, made their debut as a duo at the 2017 Met Gala, of all places.

— maria ward, Vogue, "How Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Do Date-Night Denim," 9 Mar. 2018
While the rest of Hollywood spent Sunday night dressed to the nines at the 90th annual Academy Awards, Michael Shannon took a more low-key approach to the Oscars.

— cady lang, Time, "Michael Shannon Is So Levelheaded He Watched the Oscars On Mute at a Dive Bar," 6 Mar. 2018
The elaborate shindig saw Stefani dressed to the nines as Daphne (red wig and all!) and Shelton done up as Shaggy.

— jordan runtagh, PEOPLE.com, "Gwen Stefani Misses 'Being a Girlfriend on Tour' as She Sends Love to Blake Shelton Before Show," 2 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of nine

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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NINE Defined for English Language Learners

nine

noun

Definition of nine for English Language Learners

: the number 9
: the ninth in a set or series
: nine o'clock

NINE Defined for Kids

nine

adjective \ ˈnīn \

Definition of nine for Students

: being one more than eight

nine

noun

Definition of nine for Students

1 : one more than eight : three times three : 9

2 : the ninth in a set or series

Learn More about nine

See words that rhyme with nine Spanish Central: Translation of nine Nglish: Translation of nine for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of nine for Arabic speakers

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