number 1 of 2

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
While the death toll has not matched the horrific numbers in the Texas Hill Country, which has seen its own historic flooding, several people have died in North Carolina, including two boaters on Jordan Lake, and an elderly woman whose car was swept away by floodwaters in Chatham County. Jessica Pishko, New Yorker, 15 July 2025 The lower the number, the brighter a planet or star will appear in the night sky. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
Rising American tennis star Taylor Fritz, currently number five in the world, is set to face 26th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina later on Friday for a place in the Wimbledon fourth round. James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025 The play slip looks a bit like a scantron sheet with five play areas (A–E) with boxes numbered 1–52 in the white play area and 1–10 in the shaded play area, according to the Tennessee Lottery. Allison Kiehl, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for number
Recent Examples of Synonyms for number
Noun
  • The Giants led 8-2 heading into the sixth inning with Webb on the mound, which is typically the kind of win probability that comes in three digits instead of two.
    Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 12 July 2025
  • Walker rejected the committees’ effort to block that part of the law and turned down a request to block a requirement that petition gatherers register with the state and provide their names, addresses, phone numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
    Dara Kam, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • What’s the Problem With BMI? Because body composition is linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and early death, physicians have traditionally relied on BMI to evaluate a person’s fat, bone, and muscle health.
    Julia Ries, Health, 15 July 2025
  • Another dozen compositions added new platinum certifications, as all of them had previously reached that milestone, which is reached when a tune or album moves one million equivalent units.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Jeannie C. Riley, Connie Smith and the duo of Charlie Louvin and Melba Montgomery were among the acts who cut her songs.
    Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 22 July 2025
  • In a world quick to shame and slow to forgive, perhaps the most radical leadership act is to model a different way: one that acknowledges our shared humanity, holds space for growth and redemption, and focuses more energy on our own character development than on judging others’ character deficits.
    Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Noun
  • Whereas Elliot remains something of a cipher, a manchild whose amply displayed abs have more definition than his character.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 July 2025
  • We are used to viewing video-game protagonists as tireless ciphers.
    Simon Parkin, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • That’s an impressive feat of engineering, to be sure.
    Mike Feibus, USA Today, 10 July 2025
  • The 82-year-old from Delray Beach hit the shot of a lifetime twice in the same round on Sunday at Park Ridge Golf Course in Lake Worth, making his first-ever ace on the second hole before somehow pulling off the feat again on the ninth.
    Cameron Priester, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • The Suns' calculation with Beal was somewhat different than the Bucks' with Lillard.
    Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
  • Brookshire’s grade took the biggest hit because the percentage of its lowest-performing students making those gains — part of the school grade calculation — plummeted.
    Zoey Thomas, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • Those didn’t count as explicit promises that could bind the city.
    Marianne Pizzitola, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
  • His All-Star start at Citi Field in New York — as one of six Tigers’ All-Stars, not counting AL (and Tigers) manager Jim Leyland — went a bit smoother, albeit in just one inning of work.
    Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • One Night in Idaho also features administrators of a Facebook group that aggregated details of the case, who flagged that someone under the username Papa Rodger posted numerous times about the crime, including questions about how the killer held the knife.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 11 July 2025
  • Teams that go above the second apron also can’t aggregate contracts or trade a first-round draft pick that’s seven years in the future.
    Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Number.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/number. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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