number
number
/ˈnʌmbə(r)/
word/symbol
Think of a number and multiply it by two.
a high/low number
even numbers (= 2, 4, 6, etc.)
odd numbers (= 1, 3, 5, etc.)
You owe me 27 dollars? Make it 30, that's a good round number.
SEE ALSO atomic number, cardinal (2), complex number, magic number, mass number, ordinal, prime number, real number, registration number, R number, serial number, whole number Collocations
adjective
verb + number
phrases
in round numbers
number crunching
position in series
They live at number 26.
The song reached number 5 in the charts.
telephone, etc.
Ask for the customer's name and phone number.
Customers can reach us by calling an 0800 number (= a free phone number in the UK).
I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number (= wrong phone number).
Call this number and ask to speak to John.
What is your account number, please?
Can I have your credit card number?
Please give your landline and mobile phone numbers.
Collocations
adjective
verb + number
number + verb
be busy
be engaged
be unobtainable…
phrases
exchange numbers
somebody’s name and number
Please write your name and telephone number here.
quantity
number of somebody/something A large number of people have applied for the job.
In a small number of cases the illness is fatal.
The number of homeless people has increased dramatically.
The total number of students has doubled in the last six years.
Huge numbers of (= very many) animals have died.
A number of (= some) problems have arisen.
I could give you any number of (= a lot of) reasons for not going.
Use a pedometer to count the number of steps you take.
Our aim is to reduce the number of road accidents.
This year we have increased the number of events from six to ten.
in number We were eight in number (= there were eight of us).
Nurses are leaving the profession in increasing numbers.
Sheer weight of numbers (= the large number of soldiers) secured them the victory.
The course will have to be repeated owing to pressure of numbers (= too many students).
staff/student numbers
Collocations
adjective
verb + number
grow in
increase in
decrease in…
number + verb
go up
preposition
in number
number of
phrases
a decline in numbers
a drop in numbers
a growth in numbers…
group of people
one of our number (= one of us)
The prime minister is elected by MPs from among their number.
magazine
the October number of ‘Vogue’
The back numbers of ‘The Times’ were kept in a basement.
song/dance
They sang a slow romantic number.
thing admired
She was wearing a black velvet number.
grammar
9 uncountable the form of a word, showing whether one or more than one person or thing is being talked about The word ‘men’ is plural in number.
The subject of a sentence and its verb must agree in number.
Idioms
following a set of simple instructions identified by numbers
painting by numbers
by the numbers
(North American English) following closely the accepted rules for doing something
a cushy number
(British English) an easy job; a pleasant situation that other people would like
It’s all right for him—he’s got a very cushy number.
do a number on somebody/something
(especially North American English, informal) to do something that will harm somebody/something, especially when it feels like it is done deliberately, from a desire to hurt (even if this is not actually the case)
Throat cancer did a number on me a few years ago.
The Covid-19 pandemic is doing a number on global stock markets.
have (got) somebody’s number
(informal) to know what somebody is really like and what they plan to do
He thinks he can fool me but I've got his number.
your number is up
(informal) the time has come when you will die or lose everything
numbers game
a way of considering an activity, etc. that considers only the number of people doing something, things achieved, etc., not with who or what they are
MPs were playing the numbers game as the crucial vote drew closer.
your opposite number
(informal) a person who does the same job as you in another organization
The Foreign Secretary is currently having talks with his opposite number in the White House.
there’s safety in numbers
(saying) being in a group makes you safer and makes you feel more confident
there's strength in numbers
(saying) being in a group gives you more power
There's strength in numbers, so encourage your friends and family to join us.
weight of numbers
the combined power, strength or influence of a group
They won the argument by sheer weight of numbers.
number
/ˈnʌmbə(r)/
make a series
1 transitive to give a number to something as part of a series or list number something
All the seats in the stadium are numbered.
I couldn't work out the numbering system for the hotel rooms.
Every paper was carefully numbered and indexed.
The coins are individually numbered.
Each pigeonhole is clearly numbered by floor and by room.
Park your car on the even-numbered side of the street.
number something from… to…
Number the car's features from 1 to 10 according to importance.
number something + noun
The doors were numbered 2, 4, 6 and 8.
Collocations
adverb
preposition
by
from
make something as total
2 intransitive + noun to make a particular number when added together The crowd numbered more than a thousand.
We numbered 20 (= there were 20 of us in the group).
The African student population in France currently numbers nearly 8,000.
include
3 transitive, intransitive (formal) to include somebody/something in a particular group; to be included in a particular group number somebody/something among something
I number her among my closest friends.
number among something
He numbers among the best classical actors in Britain.
Idioms
Word Origin
Middle English: from Old French nombre (noun), nombrer (verb), from Latin numerus.