1
as in telling
to find the sum of (a collection of things) by noting each one as it is being added
count the baseball gloves in the storage locker to see if there are enough to go around
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in weighing
to be of importance
punctuality and a neat appearance count during a job interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in relying
to place reliance or trust
I'm counting on you to show up tomorrow to help me move
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in considering
to think of in a particular way
I'm not sure I'd count that as a serious effort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counting
But it was soon revealed that the actors were given the wrong envelope by accountants from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the firm charged with counting Oscar votes, keeping the results secret and organizing and handing out envelopes to presenters.
—
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026
As the referee was counting, Santana somehow got his hand on the rope to break the count.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
As these frequencies are extremely stable, counting their oscillations provides an exceptionally accurate way to measure time.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
But it was soon revealed that the actors were given the wrong envelope by accountants from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the firm charged with counting Oscar votes, keeping the results secret and organizing and handing out envelopes to presenters.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
For Sacramento County, the faster turnaround was the result of several changes to the ballot-counting process, including the purchase of an additional mail sorter.
—Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
But there’s a subset of longevity culture that has drifted towards solely optimizing sleep scores, tracking biomarkers and counting macronutrients, without any additional human context.
—Lucia Aronica, CNBC, 10 June 2026
Pratt argued that California’s lengthy ballot-counting process creates uncertainty.
—Kiara Moore, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
Cleverly shot, the film made good use of its taut 74-minute running time (not counting commercials, of course).
—David Morgan, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026
As the referee was counting, Santana somehow got his hand on the rope to break the count.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
As these frequencies are extremely stable, counting their oscillations provides an exceptionally accurate way to measure time.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
But it was soon revealed that the actors were given the wrong envelope by accountants from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the firm charged with counting Oscar votes, keeping the results secret and organizing and handing out envelopes to presenters.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
For Sacramento County, the faster turnaround was the result of several changes to the ballot-counting process, including the purchase of an additional mail sorter.
—Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
But there’s a subset of longevity culture that has drifted towards solely optimizing sleep scores, tracking biomarkers and counting macronutrients, without any additional human context.
—Lucia Aronica, CNBC, 10 June 2026
Pratt argued that California’s lengthy ballot-counting process creates uncertainty.
—Kiara Moore, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
Cleverly shot, the film made good use of its taut 74-minute running time (not counting commercials, of course).
—David Morgan, CBS News, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counting
Verb
-
Since the disclosure and the Phans’ trial continuance, an independent review into the Middlesex DA’s handling of the case found that no attorneys were aware of the allegations against Quigley until immediately prior to telling the defense.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
-
Trump had a heated phone call with Netanyahu, telling him not to go through with those actions.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Police described Taylor as a Black male standing approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
By the 2010s a typical car carried 100 to 150 of these ECUs, stitched together by four to six kilometers of copper wiring weighing 40 to 60 kilograms, the third-heaviest component in many vehicles.—
Sarwant Singh,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Hahn requested — as part of a response analysis report coming back to the board in 90 days — why the county can’t find other ways besides relying on state and federal agencies to alert people.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
-
Rather than relying on approximations, costume designer Marci Rodgers recreated each piece from the ground up, sourcing materials that matched the originals as closely as possible, even down to the thread color.—
Lily Brown,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Well, Texas Tech's most prominent booster, Cody Campbell, has some very pointed comments for those schools, conferences, or institutions considering taking action against the program.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Messengers could also be faced with considering a constitutional amendment proposed by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler that would ban women from serving in primary church leadership roles within the denomination.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Securing access to computing power is becoming a key hurdle in the global AI race as companies compete to train increasingly powerful models.—
Melissa Hancock,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
The team checked this directly by computing how much of each galaxy's baryon budget actually stayed bound to the system.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Ask yourself what exactly stopped mattering and why, and know that there’s a difference between temporary exhaustion and genuine misalignment.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
And so my surreal day-to-day, a regular life broken up by suspensions of my rights, stopped mattering.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Speaking of temptation—after a third night stay, guests can stay a fourth night for free, depending on availability.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 June 2026
-
Adults 19 and older should stay up-to-date with one or two doses, depending on risk factors, such as underlying health issues, and vaccination history.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The Medline warehouse has faced serious citations regarding unsafe vehicle travel behavior; hazardous aisles, ladders, or stairways; and a lack of sufficient foot protection for employees exposed to foot injuries.—
Lyanne Wang,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
And there are concerns regarding possible negative effects of angiogenesis associated with peptides.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counting. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
