Numbers

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

num·ber

(nŭm′bər)

1. Mathematics

a. A member of the set of positive integers; one of a series of symbols of unique meaning in a fixed order that can be derived by counting.

b. A member of any of the following sets of mathematical objects: integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers. These sets can be derived from the positive integers through various algebraic and analytic constructions.

2. numbers Arithmetic.

a. A symbol or word used to represent a number.

b. A numeral or a series of numerals used for reference or identification: his telephone number; the apartment number.

a. A position in an ordered sequence that corresponds to one of the positive integers: the house that is number three from the corner; ranked number six in her class.

b. One item in a group or series considered to be in numerical order: an old number of a magazine.

5. A total; a sum: the number of feet in a mile.

6. An indefinite quantity of units or individuals: The crowd was small in number. A number of people complained.

7. numbers

a. A large quantity; a multitude: Numbers of people visited the fair.

b. Numerical superiority: The South had leaders, the North numbers.

8. Grammar The indication, as by inflection, of the singularity, duality, or plurality of a linguistic form.

9. numbers

a. Metrical feet or lines; verses: "These numbers will I tear, and write in prose" (Shakespeare).

b. Obsolete Poetic meter.

10. numbers Archaic Musical periods or measures.

11. numbers(used with a sing. or pl. verb) Games A numbers game.

12. Numbers(used with a sing. verb) See Table at Bible.

13. One of the separate offerings in a program of music or other entertainment: The band's second number was a march.

14. Slang A frequently repeated, characteristic speech, argument, or performance: suspects doing their usual number—protesting innocence.

15. Slang A person or thing singled out for a particular characteristic: a crafty number.

v. num·bered, num·ber·ing, num·bers

v.tr.

1. To assign a number to or mark with a number: Did you number the pages of the report?

2. To determine the number or amount of; count: Tickets sold for the show were numbered at 500.

3. To total in number or amount; add up to: The ships in the harbor number around 100.

4. To include in a group or category: He was numbered among the lost.

5. To limit or restrict in number: Our days are numbered.

v.intr.

1. To call off numbers; count: numbering to ten.

2. To have as a total; amount to a number: The applicants numbered in the thousands.

Idioms:

by the numbers

1. In unison as numbers are called out by a leader: performing calisthenics by the numbers.

2. In a strict, step-by-step or mechanical way.

do a number on Slang

To defeat, abuse, or humiliate in a calculated and thorough way.

get/have (someone's) number

To determine or know someone's real character or motives.

without/beyond number

Too many to be counted; countless: mosquitoes without number.

[Middle English nombre, from Old French, from Latin numerus; see nem- in Indo-European roots.]

num′ber·er n.

Usage Note: As a collective noun number may take either a singular or a plural verb. It takes a singular verb when it is preceded by the definite article the: The number of skilled workers is increasing. It takes a plural verb when preceded by the indefinite article a: A number of the workers have learned new skills.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

numbers

(ˈnʌmbəs)

pl n

(Accounting & Book-keeping) informal financial statistics: let's look at last year's numbers.

Numbers

(ˈnʌmbəz)

(Bible) (functioning as singular) the fourth book of the Old Testament, recording the numbers of the Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Num•bers

(ˈnʌm bərz)

n.

the fourth book of the Old Testament, containing the census of the Israelites after the Exodus.

Numbers

See also mathematics.

abacist

a skilied user of the abacus.

acalculia

Psychiatry. an inability to work with figures; a mental block concerning calculation.

arithmancy

a form of divination involving numbers. Also called arithmomancy.

arithmomania

1. an obsession with numbers.
2. a compulsion to count things.

hebdomadism

a belief that the number seven is sacred, as in ancient Baby-Ion.

numerology

a system of occultism based upon numbers. — numerologist, n. — numerological, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	Numbers - the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt Book of Numbers Old Testament - the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible Laws, Pentateuch, Torah - the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
	2.	numbers - an illegal daily lottery numbers game, numbers pool, numbers racket lottery, drawing - players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are distributed by casting lots

Translations

Αριθμοί

Mooseksen kirja

numero parecchi pezzo superiorit... numerica

民数記

Numeri

References in classic literature ?

Every being, which during its natural lifetime produces several eggs or seeds, must suffer destruction during some period of its life, and during some season or occasional year, otherwise, on the principle of geometrical increase, its numbers would quickly become so inordinately great that no country could support the product.

In looking at Nature, it is most necessary to keep the foregoing considerations always in mind--never to forget that every single organic being around us may be said to be striving to the utmost to increase in numbers; that each lives by a struggle at some period of its life; that heavy destruction inevitably falls either on the young or old, during each generation or at recurrent intervals.

View in context

Having warned the servants to beware of gossiping with travellers, on the subject of the changed numbers, under penalty of being dismissed, the manager composed his mind with the reflection that he had done his duty to his employers.

Henry looked at the number of the room on the door as he opened it.

View in context

Writing the words L'Empereur Napoleon in numbers, it appears that the sum of them is 666, and that Napoleon therefore the beast foretold in the Apocalypse.

View in context

It is also absurd to render property equal, and not to provide for the increasing number of the citizens; but to leave that circumstance uncertain, as if it would regulate itself according to the number of women who [1265b] should happen to be childless, let that be what it would because this seems to take place in other cities; but the case would not be the same in such a state which he proposes and those which now actually unite; for in these no one actually wants, as the property is divided amongst the whole community, be their numbers what they will; but as it could not then be divided, the supernumeraries, whether they were many or few, would have nothing at all.

View in context

This consideration seems sufficient to determine our opinion, that the convention have gone as far in the endeavor to secure the advantage of numbers in the formation of treaties as could have been reconciled either with the activity of the public councils or with a reasonable regard to the major sense of the community.

View in context

Sometimes we saw hundreds in a drove, and the numbers about the salt springs were amazing.

View in context

By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

View in context

Instances of discrete quantities are number and speech; of continuous, lines, surfaces, solids, and, besides these, time and place.

View in context

Number Thirteen was standing in a little open place in the jungle when the discordant note first fell upon his ears, and as he turned his head in the direction of the sound he was startled at the hideous aspect of the thing which broke through the foliage before him.

View in context

Some conjurers say that number three is the magic number, and some say number seven.