Definition of numbernext
1
as in digit
a character used to represent a mathematical value asked him to write out the equation in numbers, not letters

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2
as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production a doomsday novel that turns out to be one of those it-was-all-a-dream numbers

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3
as in act
a performance regularly presented by an individual or group a modern dance number

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4
5
as in feat
an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness a stunning gymnastics number that really impressed the judges

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6
as in calculation
numbers plural the act or process of performing mathematical operations to find a value if you believe the president's numbers, we can afford these new programs and still have tax cuts

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number

2 of 2

verb

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 number
Noun
Micah Gilbert almost never came off the field and posted modest numbers (three catches, 34 yards). The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Currently, the number petitioners would need to reach is 3,120. Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
The Guarani, which now number roughly 85,000 in Brazil, were among the Indigenous peoples first encountered by Portuguese colonizers in the 1500s. Marina Dias, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2026 Streamers, led by Netflix, were on the rise; the cable bundle’s days appeared numbered. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for number
Recent Examples of Synonyms for number
Noun
  • Wednesday is no different, with crude prices marching back towards triple digits and inflation sirens ringing from Beijing to London to Washington.
    Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Statcast recorded him throwing 42 at 100 or greater in Tuesday’s 4-3 win versus the Chicago Cubs in Milwaukee, giving him 1,010 triple-digit specials this season.
    Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The technique uses reflected light from a laser popped at a target to see the molecular structure of a mineral, which in turn reveals the mineral's composition.
    Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • This tension is often subtext enough, and it’s accentuated by cinematographer Adric Watson’s tight and dirty frames, which confine Maya and Arti through astute visual composition, as the reality of their cushy lives is gradually illuminated.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • And Oklahoma’s Isaiah Sategna got in on the act with an 88-yard punt return touchdown.
    Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Berry, who died on Monday at the age of 92, lived a life defined by acts of radical abstention.
    Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • There’s that vibrancy and, on the other side of the ledger, dead boys, ciphers, unfinished or unfinishable quests.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But in my view, our relationships to animals, whose lives are untouched by the existential woes and artifices of personhood, are the richest and most evident ciphers for our own often inscrutable psyches.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 June 2026
Noun
  • The shattering of the deadlift record proved that, although the feats did not end there.
    Rob Tanner, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Banda has scored in eight different home appearances this season, a feat achieved by only four players in NWSL history.
    ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • By one calculation, a combined United-American would account for 40% of US domestic flying capacity.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Leadership attention, team capacity and missed opportunity belong in that calculation too.
    Chris Suchánek, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Polyester runs through fashion’s online racks—but precisely how much depends on what is being counted.
    Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • That’s welcome news for the major Hollywood studios, which still count theatrical revenue as a key source of business during a tumultuous time for the industry.
    Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Yuan recently set out to tackle this problem by aggregating more than 3,000 hours of tactile robotic data from publicly available datasets, covering 21 sensor types and a variety of robot embodiments.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Trellis did the slow work of aggregating and structuring that data across 45 states and more than 3,000 courts.
    Mehron Sharq, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Number.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/number. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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