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Definition of count verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

count

verb
 
 
/kaʊnt/
 
/kaʊnt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they count
 
/kaʊnt/
 
/kaʊnt/
he / she / it counts
 
/kaʊnts/
 
/kaʊnts/
past simple counted
 
/ˈkaʊntɪd/
 
/ˈkaʊntɪd/
past participle counted
 
/ˈkaʊntɪd/
 
/ˈkaʊntɪd/
-ing form counting
 
/ˈkaʊntɪŋ/
 
/ˈkaʊntɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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    say numbers

  1.  
     [intransitive] to say numbers in the correct order
    • Billy can't count yet.
    • count (up) to something She can count up to 10 in Italian.
    • count from something (to/up to something) to count from 1 to 10
    Extra Examples
    • He can now count from one to twenty.
    • We counted up to fifty, then set off to look for our friends.
    Topics Maths and measurementa2

    2. find total

  2.  
     [transitive, intransitive] to calculate the total number of people, things, etc. in a particular group
    • count something (up) They're still counting votes in Texas.
    • I can't count the number of times I've eaten there (= I've eaten there very many times).
    • The diet is based on counting calories.
    • count (up) how many… She began to count up how many guests they had to invite.
    • count from… There are twelve weeks to go, counting from today.
    Extra Examples
    • She carefully counted the remaining coins and put them to one side.
    • We counted up our money.
    Topics Maths and measurementa2

    3. include

  3.  
     [transitive] count somebody/something to include somebody/something when you calculate a total
    • We have invited 50 people, not counting the children.
    • The tour guide was sure one person was missing from the group until she realized she had forgotten to count herself.
    4.

    matter

  4.  
     [intransitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) to be important synonym matter
    • It is going to be a close election, so every vote counts.
    • Every point in this game counts.
    • With our busy lives today we have less and less time for what really counts.
    • It's the thought that counts (= used about a small but kind action or gift).
    • count for something The fact that she had apologized counted for nothing with him.
    5.

    accept officially

  5.  
     [intransitive, transitive] to be officially accepted; to accept something officially
    • Don't go over that line or your throw won't count.
    • The goal wouldn't have counted anyway, because the linesman's flag was up for offside.
    • The home team's manager protested that the run should count.
    • count something Applications received after 1 July will not be counted.
    6.

    consider

  6. [intransitive, transitive] to consider somebody/something in a particular way; to be considered in a particular way
    • count (somebody/something) as somebody/something For tax purposes that money counts/is counted as income.
    • count somebody/something/yourself among somebody/something I count him among my closest friends.
    • count somebody/something/yourself + adj. I count myself lucky to have known him.
    • count somebody/something/yourself + noun She counts herself one of the lucky ones.
    • I count it a privilege to have served alongside her.
    7. Word Originverb Middle English (as a noun): from Old French counte (noun), counter (verb), from the verb computare ‘calculate’, from com- ‘together’ + putare ‘to settle (an account)’.
Idioms
…and counting
  1. used to say that a total is continuing to increase
    • The movie's ticket sales add up to $39 million, and counting.
be able to count somebody/something on (the fingers of) one hand
  1. used to say that the total number of somebody/something is very small
    • She could count on the fingers of one hand the people she actually enjoyed being with.
    • Although she knew lots of people, she could count her friends on the fingers of one hand.
count your blessings
  1. to be grateful for the good things in your life
count the cost (of something)
  1. to feel the bad effects of a mistake, an accident, etc.
    • The town is now counting the cost of its failure to provide adequate flood protection.
count sheep
  1. to imagine that sheep are jumping over a fence and to count them, as a way of getting to sleep
don’t count your chickens (before they are hatched)
  1. (saying) you should not be too confident that something will be successful, because something may still go wrongTopics Successc2
stand up and be counted
  1. to say publicly that you support somebody or you agree with something
    • Everyone needs to stand up and be counted in order to make them see the strength of our conviction.
    Topics Opinion and argumentc2
who’s counting?
  1. (informal) used to say that you do not care how many times something happens
    • I've seen the film five times, but who's counting?
See count in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee count in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: count

Nearby words

given
adjective
 
 
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OPAL spoken words
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