number 1 of 2

noun

ˈnəm-bər How to pronounce number (audio)
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in cipher
a person of no importance or influence doesn't want to go to some mammoth state university where she would be just a number

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

number

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to count
to find the sum of (a collection of things) by noting each one as it is being added number those apples and tell me how many you have

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to aggregate
to have a total of the full-time staff numbers 30 people

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to include
to have as part of a whole is numbered among the great minds of our times

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, increased 50% in the last six months of 2025. — Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026 In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran increased 50% in the six months to December 2025. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
According to the Burke Museum, passenger pigeons were once the most abundant bird in North America, numbering in the billions and accounting for close to 40% of the continent’s land birds when European settlers arrived in the 19th century. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026 While the birds that left early numbered in the thousands, the number of migrants in late September becomes millions. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for number
Recent Examples of Synonyms for number
  1. digit
  2. composition
  3. act
  4. cipher
  5. feat
  6. calculation
  7. count
  8. aggregate
Noun
  • This was in Arizona heat, which in August regularly sits somewhere in triple digits.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The mountains and far interior could see an additional 3 to 6 degrees of warming Wednesday, and there’s a 40% chance the warmest valleys could reach triple digits Friday or Saturday, according to the forecast.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of digit
Noun
  • Suddenly a rock song might be built of modular units that could be rearranged, whether in composition or on the fly.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The composition of the legislature will be a key factor regarding the ability to achieve reforms.
    — Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of composition
Noun
  • Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with preparation of acts of terrorism between May 2024 and July 2026, including against Nigel Farage, the leader of the populist Reform UK party, according to British police and prosecutors.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Clark supporters argued one game was insufficient for an ejectable non-basketball act.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of act
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
Definition of cipher
Noun
  • The first stage is designed to be captured by giant mechanical arms on its launch gantry, a feat SpaceX has accomplished four times to date.
    — William Harwood, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The challenge here would seem to come down to avoiding any discernible pattern to develop—no small intellectual feat.
    — Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of feat
Noun
  • And the cosmic radiation that Earth’s atmosphere filters out can scramble calculations, forcing systems to catch and correct errors on the fly.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Per the center’s calculations, a family of four buying a home in Madera County would have to earn no more than $166,800 a year, while a family in Santa Clara County could earn up to $375,800 a year and still qualify.
    — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of calculation
Verb
  • For example, although Roth IRA contributions count for eligibility, those accounts cannot receive the match.
    — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The celebrated institution, attended by the children of aristocrats and wealthy families, has counted many British royals among its students since its founding in the 15th century.
    — Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of count
Verb
  • Specifically, the law directs the California Public Utilities Commission to create a pathway for these separate devices to be aggregated to export electricity by June 30, 2027.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Condé Nast, like other publishers, has seen its web traffic decline as AI chatbots aggregate information that readers would previously have sought out on media platforms.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of aggregate

Phrases Containing number

Browse Nearby Words

numbed
number
numberable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Number.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/number. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on number

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about number

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All