outnumber

verb

out·​num·​ber ˌau̇t-ˈnəm-bər 

outnumbered; outnumbering; outnumbers

transitive verb

: to exceed in number

Examples of outnumber in a Sentence

With 20 girls and 10 boys in the class, girls outnumber boys by 2 to 1.

Recent Examples on the Web

Defense attorney William Sulton attempted to illustrate for jurors that his client was acting to defend one of the combatants, who had become outnumbered during the fight. —Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 9 Dec. 2025

Now, my sources told me, American clients outnumbered the others by orders of magnitude. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2025

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington on Monday, described the small group of FBI agents as vastly outnumbered and literally backed against the wall of the National Archives building as unrest swept the country over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. —Carrie Johnson, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025

The United States welcomed 109 fresh entrants to the billionaire ranks, vastly outnumbering the 18 who dropped below the threshold or passed away. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for outnumber

• encumber
• renumber
• cumber
• lumber
• number
• slumber
• umber

Kids Definition

outnumber

verb

out·​num·​ber (ˈ)au̇t-ˈnəm-bər 

: to be more than in number

girls outnumber boys in the class