noun
number
NUHM-buh
noun
1
A value used to count, measure, or label something.
"Pick a number between one and ten."
"The house number was painted on the gate."
2
A telephone number.
"Can I get your number before you go?"
3
A single song or routine within a larger performance.
"The band closed the show with an upbeat number."
4
Informal: an outfit, especially a stylish one.
"She turned up in a stunning little black number."
verb
1
To assign numbers to, or to total a certain amount.
"The pages were numbered in the top corner."
"The crowd numbered in the thousands."
How to Use Number
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA figure used for counting or identifying things — and informally, a song, an outfit, or a rough total.
Common pairings
a large number of
number one
by the numbers
her number
Word Forms
numbered past tense, numbers plural, numbers plural, numbers singular
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Etymology
From Old French nombre, from Latin numerus ("number"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to divide" or "to allot".