numerous

adjective nu·mer·ous \ ˈnüm-rəs , ˈnü-mə- ; ˈnyüm- , ˈnyü-mə- \

Definition of numerous

:consisting of great numbers of units or individuals

born into a numerous family

; also :many

received numerous complaints

The people I'd like to thank are too numerous to mention.

—

numerously

adverb

—

numerousness

noun

See numerous defined for English-language learners

See numerous defined for kids

Examples of numerous in a Sentence

She decided to leave for numerous reasons.
The birds are becoming more numerous in this area.

Recent Examples of numerous from the Web

This is the second time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has lifted protections for grizzlies in the Yellowstone region — 19,000 square miles (49,210 square kilometers) of forested mountains, remote valleys and numerous small towns.

— matthew brown, The Seattle Times, "Groups sue to protect Yellowstone bears as hunts anticipated," 30 Aug. 2017
After that, the rate is 40 percent, but there are numerous ways, such as trusts, to shield assets.

— laurence arnold, Bloomberg.com, "Pass-Throughs? AMT? Here Are the Tax-Reform Terms You Need to Know," 30 Aug. 2017
On Monday, Jouett allegedly entered a library in Clovis, New Mexico, and opened fire, killing two library employees and injuring numerous others.

— ella ceron, Teen Vogue, "University of Tampa Professor Fired for Saying Hurricane Harvey Seemed Like "Karma" for Texas Republicans," 30 Aug. 2017
AMIT also offers at-risk youth numerous courses and programs that teach practical and needed vocational skills, so students are prepared to play important roles in the automotive, mechanical, electrical and other growth industries.

— randall p. lieberman, Jewish Journal, "Boynton Judaica artist to lead workshop for Israeli charity," 30 Aug. 2017
Steve Gaut, a spokesman for UPS, said that the trucks will travel to numerous U.S. cities, but was not certain if Louisville would be one of them.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "UPS has Taylor-made trucks for Taylor Swift's new album, 'Reputation'," 29 Aug. 2017
And there were numerous references to the Houston TV reporters who continued their coverage despite the need to abandon their stations.

— The Hive, "How Silicon Valley Has Changed Hurricane Coverage," 28 Aug. 2017
By 2008, numerous U.S. citizens had been wrongly arrested by Maricopa County deputies, and several filed a federal lawsuit accusing the sheriff’s office of racial profiling.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "The Collected Crimes of Sheriff Joe Arpaio," 26 Aug. 2017
Clouds should be few and far between in the morning but will be more numerous in the afternoon.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump’s border wall brinkmanship may leave Republicans in Congress holding the bag," 24 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of numerous

Middle English, from Latin numerosus, from numerus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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numerous Synonyms

Synonyms

beaucoup [slang], legion, multifold, multiple, multiplex, multitudinous, many

Antonyms

few

Related Words

countless, innumerable, numberless, uncountable, unnumbered, untold; several, some; miscellaneous, mixed, sundry, various; divers, manifold, multifarious, myriad

Near Antonyms

countable, limited

NUMEROUS Defined for English Language Learners

numerous

adjective

Definition of numerous for English Language Learners

: existing in large numbers

NUMEROUS Defined for Kids

numerous

adjective nu·mer·ous \ ˈnü-mə-rəs , ˈnyü- \

Definition of numerous for Students

:consisting of a large number :many

She has numerous friends.

Learn More about numerous

See words that rhyme with numerous Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for numerous Spanish Central: Translation of numerous Nglish: Translation of numerous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of numerous for Arabic speakers

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Definition of numerous

numerously

numerousness

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numerous Synonyms

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NUMEROUS Defined for English Language Learners

numerous

Definition of numerous for English Language Learners

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