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

number

verb
 
/ˈnʌmbə(r)/
 
/ˈnʌmbər/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they number
 
/ˈnʌmbə(r)/
 
/ˈnʌmbər/
he / she / it numbers
 
/ˈnʌmbəz/
 
/ˈnʌmbərz/
past simple numbered
 
/ˈnʌmbəd/
 
/ˈnʌmbərd/
past participle numbered
 
/ˈnʌmbəd/
 
/ˈnʌmbərd/
-ing form numbering
 
/ˈnʌmbərɪŋ/
 
/ˈnʌmbərɪŋ/
Idioms
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    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.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • clearly
    • consecutively
    • sequentially
    preposition
    • according to
    • by
    • from
    See full entry
  2. make something as total

  3. [intransitive] + noun to make a particular number when added together synonym add up to something
    • 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.
  4. include

  5. [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.
  6. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French nombre (noun), nombrer (verb), from Latin numerus.
Idioms
somebody’s/something’s days are numbered
  1. a person or thing will not continue to live, exist or be successful for much longer
    • His days as leader of the party are numbered.
    • Whatever the protests, the school’s days are numbered and it will be closed down.
    Topics Difficulty and failurec2
See number in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee number in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
perspective
noun
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
B2
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