number1 nounnumber2 verb
numbernum·ber1 /ˈnʌmbə $ -bər/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 
WORD ORIGINnumber1
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French nombre, from Latin numerusEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "The show's not very good." "We can leave after this number if you want."
- A large number of reporters had gathered outside the house.
- All the doors on this side of the street have odd numbers.
- An enormous number of people wrote to complain about last night's show.
- Ann's phone number is 555-3234.
- By next year, the number of homes with either cable or satellite television is expected to be just over 10 million.
- Cast members performed the new dance number.
- Double check the account number to make sure it's right.
- Each player has a number on the back of their shirt.
- I live at number 12 Liverpool Road.
- May I please have your Social Security number?
- Nell Carter also appeared and performed a couple of upbeat numbers.
- Pick a number between one and ten.
- Raffle ticket number 241 wins the dinner for two at La Fiorentina.
- Take a look at question number three.
- The number of cars on the roads increased by 22% last year.
- The number of working days lost through strikes has continued to rise.
- The game works best with an even number of children.
- The regulations limit the number of students in each class.
- There have been several cases of tuberculosis, and the number is rising.
- By the end of last month, the number had increased to 41. 2 percent.
- DeBuono attributes the higher number of cases in Monroe County to better hospital reporting.
- He mentioned the number eight or nine times.
- However, the grammar must be able to correctly distinguish word hypotheses or the number of paths will grow exponentially.
- It is directly responsible for 35,000 deaths from lung cancer and twice this number from other diseases every year.
- The number of police officers has increased enormously during the past 10 years.
- The rain had stopped but the mosquitoes were out in alarming numbers and there was no jeep to ride in.
- The result was a large number of takeovers and mergers.
THESAURUS
a short piece of music with words that you sing: · We sang songs around the campfire.· The song was written by John Lennon.
one of the songs on a CD or record: · Track three is my favourite one.
a song that forms part of a performance of several songs: · The show was brilliant, from the opening number to the end.
the notes in a song, without the words: · I recognize the tune, but I can’t remember what it’s called.
the main series of notes in a piece of music that has several parts which are played together: · The song has a simple melody and beautiful lyrics.
a set of sentences that make up one part of a song: · She sang the first verse of ‘Amazing Grace’.
a set of sentences in a song that is repeated after each verse: · Most of the kids were able to join in the chorus.
the sounds made by musical instruments or people singing: · The music was really loud.
the main series of musical notes in a piece of music: · a folk song with a pretty tune
the main series of notes in a piece of music that has many notes being played at the same time, especially in classical music: · The soprano sang the melody.
the chords or notes in a piece of music that support the melody: · the rich harmonies in the symphony
(also piece of music) an arrangement of musical notes – use this about music without words: · It’s a difficult piece to play.
formal a piece of music that someone has written: · This is one of his own compositions.
a piece of music, especially classical music: · one of Mozart’s best-known works
one of the songs or pieces of music on a CD: · the album’s title track
a piece of popular music that forms part of a concert or show: · the show’s first number
Longman Language Activatora written number a word or sign that is used to talk about an exact quantity or to show the position of something in a series: · Each player has a number on the back of their shirt.number 12/20/4 etc: · I live at number 12 Liverpool Road.· Raffle ticket number 241 wins the dinner for two at La Fiorentina.even number (=2,4,6,8,10 etc): · The game works best with an even number of children.odd number (=1,3,5,7,9 etc): · All the doors on this side of the street have odd numbers.phone/passport/registration/licence etc number: · What's your phone number?· Write your social security number in the appropriate box of the tax form.
a number written as a sign, not as a word: · On a cheque, write the amount in words and in figures.double figures (=more than 9 and less than 100) British: · Temperatures reached double figures for the first time this spring, going as high as 14 degrees.single figures (=less than 10) British: · The inflation rate was still in single figures. (=less than 10%)five-figure/six-figure etc (=a number that has five, six etc figures in it): · The managing director earns a six-figure salary.figure 8 (=a shape like the number 8): · The pond is shaped like a figure eight with a bridge across the middle.
a single number between 0 and 9, for example 1, 5, or 8 - used especially in formal or technical contexts: · French telephone numbers have six digits.· This calculator can display only nine digits at a time.· To unlock the gate you must know the four-digit security code.double-digit (=more than 9 and less than 100)) American: · The nation has not experienced double-digit inflation for many years.
a sign that represents a number in a particular number system, especially a system that is no longer generally used: Arabic/Roman/European etc numerals: · The European numbers 1, 2, 3 and so on, are based on Arabic numerals.· The date was written in Roman numerals -- MCMLXXXII.
a number used in representing a quantity a number of people, things etc, especially a number that has been counted for official purposes: · There have been several cases of tuberculosis, and the number is rising.number of: · The number of cars on the roads increased by 22% last year.· The regulations limit the number of students in each class.a large/small etc number of people/things etc: · An enormous number of people wrote to complain about last night's show.
a number, especially an officially supplied number, showing an amount, how much something has increased, how much it has decreased etc: · Government figures published today show that unemployment is rising again.· The total value of all drugs seized by the police reached a record figure of $116,000,000.· Inflation in Japan is around 3%, while the German figure is now over 4%.sales figures: · Retailers are reporting their November sales figures today.
information about financial matters, social changes etc, which is shown in the form of numbers: · Statistics show that the number of women managers has risen continuously for the last 25 years.· According to the latest government statistics, 2 million people retired last year.
the number of people killed or injured in accidents, by illness etc: · The final toll was 83 dead and more than 100 injured.death toll: · The death toll from the earthquake has risen still further in the worst disaster since 1952.
to write or put numbers on a set of things to write or put numbers on a set of things: · We finished numbering the seats just as the audience began to arrive.· The program will automatically number the pages of your reports.· If you don't number your answers, how will I know which questions they refer to?
something such as a seat, a ticket, or a page that is numbered has a number written on it: · The tickets are numbered, so you can find your seat quite easily.· A series of numbered diagrams illustrate the results of the experiment.numbered from one/five etc to ten/fifteen etc: · The squares are numbered from one to ten.
a number of people or things: the number of · We need to know the number of students in each class.· By next year, the number of homes with either cable or satellite television is expected to be just over 10 million.· The number of working days lost through strikes has continued to rise.a large/small number · A large number of reporters had gathered outside the house.· Thousands of men apply to join the Marines but only a small number are accepted.
use this to talk about or ask about the number of people or things that there are: how many people/things/years etc: · How many cars do you have?· He wouldn't tell us how many girlfriends he'd had.how many of: · How many of you can swim?· It is not known how many of the people arrested in last Saturday's protests have been freed.
a number of things - used especially in written reports about stolen or illegal goods: a quantity of: · A quantity of cocaine was found in Larsson's apartment.a large/small quantity: · Police are investigating a burglary in which a small quantity of jewellery was stolen.· Thieves escaped with a large quantity of cigarettes after breaking into a shop in Cramlington, Northumberland.
a small number of people or things a small number of people, things, places etc: · Most of the trees were destroyed by the fire, but a few survived.a few people/days/things etc: · She's gone to stay with her father for a few days.· Can I borrow a few dollars until I get paid?· I invited a few friends around on Saturday night.a few of (=a small number from a larger group): · Sean left the gate open and a few of the cows got out.
formal a few people, things, places etc, especially when they are part of a much bigger number: · Hundreds of people begin the training programme, but only a small number complete it successfully.a small number of: · Only a small number of people still speak Gaelic.· The new system is being tested in a small number of schools.· A relatively small number of industrially advanced countries control the world economy.
a smaller number than you expected or wanted: · "Were there many people at the show?" "No, not many."not many people/places etc: · There weren't many people at the party, but we still had a good time.· Not many restaurants stay open after midnight.not many of: · I think I'm quite a good cook but not many of my friends agree with me.
spoken a small number of people or things: · "Do you have any Bob Dylan albums?" "Yes, one or two."one or two people/places/questions etc: · We've had one or two problems with the car but nothing serious.· There are one or two things I'd like to ask you about.one or two of: · I only know the names of one or two of the new students.
especially spoken two, or a small number: · "How many drinks did you have?" "Just a couple."a couple of: · A couple of kids were playing in the street.· I saw her a couple of days ago.
a very small number of people or things, especially when this number is disappointing or surprising: · We offer a gym for our employees but only a handful ever use it.a handful of: · Only a handful of artists in Britain can make a living from painting.· A handful of people stayed after the concert to help clear the chairs away.
a small group of people or things from within a larger group, usually forming much less than half of the larger group: a minority of: · Only a minority of union members voted in favour of continuing the strike.a small/tiny etc minority: · Joyce is among the tiny minority of arthritis sufferers who experience these symptoms.· Every year more than three hundred students enter this program but only a small minority will go on to become lawyers.
if something is sparse , there are only very small amounts of it, especially spread over a large area: · sparse traffic· Trees are sparse in this part of the world because of the continuous wind that blows across the plains.
a large number of things or people · I was surprised so few people were at the concert - I thought there'd be a lot there.a lot of · A lot of tourists visit Venice in the summer.· John has lived in a lot of different places.a lot more/fewer/less · I'm sure she has a lot more problems than I have.quite a lot · There were quite a lot of words that I couldn't understand.a whole lot/an awful lot · An awful lot of his customers are unhappy with his work.
informal a lot of people or things: · "Have you gotten any responses to your ad?" "Yeah - lots."lots of: · I've invited lots of people.· She asked lots of questions during the interview.lots and lots of: · They've planted lots and lots of flowers in the back yard.lots more/fewer/less: · We get lots more people in the bar on Fridays.
use this especially in questions and negative sentences. Many is also used in positive sentences in written English and in formal spoken English.: many questions/people/cars/thoughts etc: · Did you get many Christmas cards this year?· I don't know many people here, do you?not many: · Not many people survived the crash.so many: · There were so many people at the party, I never even saw Will.too many: · They've got too many rules for me to remember them all.many of (=many among a large number of people or things): · Many of the paintings burned, but the most valuable ones were saved.for many years: · She worked as a reporter with CBS news for many years.in many ways/places/cases etc: · There will be rain in many parts of the country tonight.many more/fewer/less: · We've had many fewer complaints since Doug took over the department.the many: · The report hardly mentions the many patients who have benefited from the treatment.a good many: · A good many scientists were opposed to the use of the bomb.many a person/place/thing: · I've spent many a happy morning fishing from this spot.
a lot of a particular type of person or thing - used especially in newspapers and official reports: · Police seized a large number of weapons.· Large numbers of demonstrators were arrested during today's protest march.
also loads especially British, /masses British informal a lot of people or things: · "How many strawberries did you pick?" "Masses!"tons of: · You can borrow one of my books if you want - I have tons of them.· The beach was really crowded - there were loads of people from all over Europe.loads and loads/tons and tons etc: · There were loads and loads of empty seats at the game - I was kind of surprised.
American informal a lot of people or things: · "Do you have any markers I could borrow?" "I've got a bunch - what colors do you need?"a bunch of: · Rita finally showed up with a bunch of her friends.· I went to a bunch of different stores but I couldn't find a coat I liked.a whole bunch: · A whole bunch of us are going to the beach - you want to come along?
a large number of people, things etc but not usually more than a hundred: · At least five people died and dozens more were injured in a gas explosion just outside Paris.dozens of: · Since we put the advertisement in the paper we've had dozens of phone calls.· Baldwin was the author of six novels, four plays and dozens of essays and poems.dozens and dozens: · The women see dozens and dozens of movies a year.
formal many: · The same problem has occurred before on numerous occasions.· Numerous books and movies have dealt with the issue of wife abuse.too numerous to list/mention/name etc (=so many that you cannot say all of them): · I want to thank all the people, too numerous to mention, who've helped me win this election.
a large number of things or people, especially when this is impressive or surprising: · AIDS can indirectly result in a host of other illnesses.· Since he was elected, the president has been faced with a host of difficult problems.a whole host of: · Their newest compact model has a whole host of exciting new features.
a fairly large number of people, things etc: · He's been working at the company for quite a few years.· There have been quite a few accidents on this stretch of road.· "How many people are coming to the party?" "Oh, quite a few."quite a few of: · She knows quite a few of the people who work at the hospital.
especially American a large number of ideas, opinions, suggestions etc: · The President has a raft of new proposals for dealing with inner city decay.a whole raft of: · By the end of the meeting we had a whole raft of new ideas for expansion.
: multi-coloured/multi-national/multi-storey/multi-racial/multi-purpose/multi-million dollar etc having or involving many colours, countries etc: · My new office is in a multi-storey building.· The company is a multi-national corporation, which has branches all over the world.· Russia has moved from a one-party dictatorship to a multi-party system of government.
: multiple injuries/wounds/burns/fractures in many parts of the body: · She suffered multiple injuries after jumping out of a fifth floor window.· Lauda was pulled from his blazing car with multiple burns.
more than before · The new airport will just mean more noise, more traffic problems and higher land prices.more than · I'm sure I weigh more than last year.more something than · There are far more game shows on TV than there used to be.much more/a lot more/a little more etc · Derek earns a lot more now than he did in his previous job.more and more (=in a number or degree that steadily increases) · More and more people are retiring early.· It became more and more obvious that the boy was using drugs.
· People are using mobile phones more because they are cheaper.more than · Visitors to the centre complained about the service more than last year.more than ever before · Our future competitiveness and prosperity depend more than ever before on technology and industry.more and more (=continuously increasing) · More and more, we are finding that students lack basic skills when they enter college.
use this when the number of people that are doing something is not yet very large, but is increasing all the time: a growing number/an increasing number of: · Hong Kong was having to provide for a growing number of refugees.· Milo is one of a growing number of politicians who have become dissatisfied with the current government. an ever-increasing/ever-growing number of (=a number that is increasing all the time): · The islanders are trying to protect their environment from the ever-increasing number of Australian tourists.in growing/increasing numbers: · "Suite" hotels -- with full kitchens and sitting rooms -- are dotting the roadside in increasing numbers.
continuing to happen more often than before - use this when something is becoming more common but still does not happen all the time: · As the years passed, Celia became increasingly lonely and withdrawn.· Increasingly, people are relying on interactive media for a variety of services.
formal use this about a feeling or condition that is stronger or more noticeable than it was before: · After the war, the country began to enjoy greater prosperity.· The new legislation gave girls greater access to sports in schools.greater than: · The need for people with computing skills is greater than ever before.
use this about prices, speeds, or amounts that are bigger than they were before: · There is now a higher proportion of women in management jobs.· By focusing on quality rather than price, Bangalore's firms hope to secure higher profit margins.higher than: · The cost of student accommodation is higher than it was a year ago.
greater than in the past: · After childbirth there is always an increased risk of back trouble.· Increased interest in healthy foods and the environment has led to greater consumer influence.
if a belief, idea etc is gaining ground , more and more people believe it, do it etc: · an approach which is gaining ground in schools· Evangelical Christianity has been gaining ground since the Second World War.· Laurent died in 1853, but his ideas slowly gained ground over the next ten years.
a piece of music an arrangement of musical notes that has been written by someone - use this about music without words: · The CD contains two pieces performed by the Tokyo String Quartet.· It's difficult to know ahead of time whether an audience will like a new piece of music.
a short piece of music with words for singing: · That's a pretty song - where did you learn it?· The song "Yesterday" is one of the most often recorded songs in the world.· In the evenings we'd sit around the campfire and sing songs.
a piece of music - use this when you are considering the way the music is written: · Stone's composition "Idaho" became a national hit when Benny Goodman recorded it for Columbia.· Zwilich's flute concerto was nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
a piece of music, especially a long classical one - use this in written or formal contexts: · The performance began with two of Mozart's early works.· Handel's "Messiah" is one of the most majestic musical works ever written.
a piece of popular music that forms part of a longer performance: · "The show's not very good." "We can leave after this number if you want."· Nell Carter also appeared and performed a couple of upbeat numbers.
how often something happens · How often do you see your parents?· What should you feed a puppy and how often?· When Peter said I was heartless it made me wonder how often I'd shown my lack of sympathy.· It's amazing how often this kind of thing happens.
· How many times has she been married?· I can't remember how many times I've been to New York.how many times a day/week/year etc · How many times a week do you go swimming?· The doctor wanted to know how many times I went to the toilet in a day.
exactly how often something happens: · The computer can tell you the number of times a word occurs in a piece of writing such as a book.· The rate of respiration is the number of times the patient breathes in and out during a given period.· Try to increase the number of times you exercise per week.
the number of times that something happens during a particular period of time: frequency of: · The frequency of mining accidents has steadily decreased over the past 20 years.high frequency (=happening very often): · The high frequency of cases of diarrhoea is attributable to poor food hygiene.with increasing frequency (=more and more frequently): · Crimes of this type are happening with increasing frequency.
someone who has the same position in another company, organization, or group · Belgian government officials are discussing the matter with their counterparts in France.· Eighteenth-century urban dwellers lived in much worse conditions than their modern counterparts.
someone who has the same job as someone else in a different organization: · The project was run jointly by Morris and his opposite number in the New York office.· After years of communication by telephone she finally met her opposite number in the Spanish government.
some, but not a large number a number of people or things, but not a large number - use this when you are not saying exactly what the number is: · There were some children playing in the street.· "Have we got any biscuits?" "Yes, I've just bought some."some of: · Come over here and meet some of my friends.some more: · I've got some more photos of her upstairs.some other: · There are some other reasons as well as those I have mentioned.
a small number of people, things etc: · "Are there any chocolates left?" "Only a few."· They went to China a few years ago.· We know a few people who work in advertising.a few of: · I'm going to the club with a few of my friends.
more than a few people or things, but not a large number: · The President visited several states on his tour.· We've had several meetings, but nothing has been agreed.· She's been to Japan several times.several of: · I've read several of his books and they're really good.· Several of the islands have beautiful beaches.
several: · A number of people said they had seen the stolen van earlier in the day.· We have received a number of complaints about last night's programme.· A number of her ideas were very good indeed.
informal a very small number but at least two: · I'd just like to ask you a couple of questions before you go.· Those baskets are nice, and they only cost a couple of quid.· There wasn't much mail this morning - just a couple of bills.
WORD SETSabbr., abbreviate, verbabbreviation, nounabstract noun, nounaccusative, nounactive, adjectiveadj., adjective, nounadv., adverb, nounadverbial, adjectiveaffix, nounantecedent, nounapposition, nounarticle, nounaspect, nounattributive, adjectiveaux., auxiliary, nounauxiliary verb, nouncase, nouncausal, adjectiveclause, nouncollective noun, nouncommon noun, nouncomparative, adjectivecomparison, nouncomplement, nouncomplex, adjectivecompound, nounconcord, nounconcrete noun, nounconditional, adjectiveconditional, nounconj., conjugate, verbconjugation, nounconjunction, nounconnective, nounconstruction, nouncontinuous, adjectivecontraction, nouncoordinate, adjectivecoordinating conjunction, nouncopula, nouncountable, adjectivecount noun, noundative, noundeclension, noundefinite article, noundemonstrative, adjectivedemonstrative pronoun, noundependent clause, noundeterminer, noundirect discourse, noundirect object, noundirect speech, noundisjunctive, adjectiveditransitive, adjectivedouble negative, noun-ed, suffixending, noun-est, suffix-eth, suffixfeminine, adjectivefinite, adjectiveform, nounfunction word, nounfuture, adjectivegender, noungenitive, noungerund, noungradable, adjectivegrammar, noungrammarian, noungrammatical, adjectivehistoric present, nounhomonym, nounhomophone, nounimperative, adjectiveimperative, nounimpersonal, adjectiveindefinite article, nounindependent clause, nounindicative, nounindicative, adjectiveindirect discourse, nounindirect object, nounindirect speech, nouninfinitive, nouninflect, verbinflected, adjectiveinflection, noun-ing, suffixintensifier, nouninterjection, nouninterrogative, adjectiveinterrogative, nounintransitive, adjectivelinking verb, nounmain clause, nounmasculine, adjectivemodal, nounmodal auxiliary, nounmodal verb, nounmodifier, nounmodify, verbmood, nounn., neuter, adjectivenominal, adjectivenominative, nounnon-finite, adjectivenon-restrictive, adjectivenoun, nounnumber, nounobject, nounparse, verbparticipial, adjectiveparticiple, nounparticle, nounpartitive, nounpart of speech, nounpassive, adjectivepassivize, verbpast, adjectivepast participle, nounpast perfect, nounperfect participle, nounperiphrasis, nounpersonal pronoun, nounphrasal verb, nounphrase, nounpl., plural, nounplural, adjectiveplurality, nounpossessive, adjectivepossessive, nounpredeterminer, nounpredicate, nounpredicative, adjectiveprefix, nounprefix, verbprep., preposition, nounprepositional phrase, nounpres., present participle, nounprogressive, adjectivepronominal, adjectivepronoun, nounproper noun, nounpunctuate, verbpunctuation, nounqualifier, nounquantifier, nounquestion tag, nounreflexive, adjectiveregular, adjectiverelative clause, nounrelative pronoun, nounreported speech, nounrestrictive clause, nounroot, nounrule, nounrun-on sentence, nounsecond person, nounsemicolon, nounsentence, nounsentence adverb, nounsingular, adjectivesolecism, nounsplit infinitive, nounstative, adjectivestem, nounsubject, nounsubjective, adjectivesubjunctive, nounsubordinate clause, nounsubstantive, nounsuffix, nounsuperlative, adjectivesyntactic, adjectivesyntax, nountag, nountense, nountransitive, adjectiveuncountable, adjectivev., variant, nounverb, nounverbal, adjectivevocative, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 1adjectives
We’ve saved a considerable amount of money. a very cushy number (=an easy job or life) Can I take your daytime telephone number (=the number of the telephone you use during the day)? 4305 is a four-digit number. Within two years the company had doubled in size. A promise was given to double the number of police on duty. We’ll need double this amount for eight people. Do you know Mr Brown’s extension number? A growing number of people are taking part-time jobs. The Beatles’ greatest hits. Which band had a hit with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’? There was an infinite variety of drinks to choose from. A large number of students have signed up for the course. There are only a limited number of tickets available. Work out the maximum amount you can afford to spend. Agassi was at that time ranked sixth in the world. a sizeable amount of money Only a relatively small number of people were affected. an area twice the size of Britain An unknown number of people were killed. The system can support an unlimited number of users. The government will have to borrow vast amounts of money. The refugees come across the border in vast numbers.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
(=a number you think gives you good luck)· Three is my lucky number.
(=2, 4, 6, 8 etc)· All even numbers can be divided by 2.
(=1, 3, 5, 7 etc)· You can’t work in pairs if you’ve got an odd number of people.
(=a number ending in zero)· A hundred is a nice round number.
(=a number that is more than zero)· Maths is easier if you are dealing with positive numbers.
(=a number that is less than zero)· Can a negative number have a square root?
(=a number such as 13 that can be divided only by itself and 1)· After 7, what is the next prime number?
(=a number such as 1, 2, or 3 that shows how many of something there are)· Numbers go on to infinity, so there is no last cardinal number.
(=a number such as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd that shows where something comes in a series or list)· The children learn about position and ordinal numbers when they stand in a line.
(=a number that is not a fraction)
verbs· Add the two numbers together and divide by three.
(=add several numbers together)· Write all the numbers down, then add them up.
· Subtract this number from the total.
· What happens if you multiply a positive number by a negative number?
· You can’t divide a prime number by any other number, except 1.
Meaning 5adjectives· A large number of children were running around in the playground.
(=very large)· We’ve had a huge number of complaints.
· There seems to be no reason for the high number of suicides.
(=quite a large number)· He received a substantial number of votes.· A considerable number of students left after the first year.
(=quite a lot)· He has written a good number of books for children.
· The class had only a small number of students.
· the low numbers of women involved in sports coaching
(=quite small)· A limited number of copies were printed.
(=very small)· Only a tiny number of these animals remain in the wild.
· An increasing number of women are entering the profession.
verbs· As you improve, increase the number of times you do each exercise.
· We need to reduce the number of cars on the road.
· The number of mobile phones has increased dramatically.
(=becomes twice as big)· The number of road accidents has doubled in the last ten years.
· The number of new houses being built is falling steadily.
(=becomes twice as small)· The number of children failing at school has halved in recent years.
phrases· Birds nest here in large numbers.
(=a very large number of them)· There have been any number of magazine articles about the celebrity couple.
· This will bring the number of jobs lost at the company to 85.
COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘a big number of people/things’. Say a large number of people/things.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· What's your card number?
· In 1962 'Love Me Do' reached only number 17 in the charts.
We’ve saved a considerable amount of money. a very cushy number (=an easy job or life) Can I take your daytime telephone number (=the number of the telephone you use during the day)? 4305 is a four-digit number. Within two years the company had doubled in size. A promise was given to double the number of police on duty. We’ll need double this amount for eight people.· Both candidates received an equal number of votes.
· In higher education, women are equal in numbers to men.
· I don’t know the exact amount, but it was a lot.
Do you know Mr Brown’s extension number?· A combination of factors led to the closure of the factory.
· She told Dave that she was his number one fan.
(=a number in the thousands/ten thousands/hundred thousands etc)· Choose a four figure number that you can easily remember.
· Write the flight number on all your luggage labels.
A growing number of people are taking part-time jobs. The Beatles’ greatest hits. Which band had a hit with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’? (=the address or telephone number of your house)
There was an infinite variety of drinks to choose from. A large number of students have signed up for the course. There are only a limited number of tickets available. (=think only of the advantages you can get for yourself)
Work out the maximum amount you can afford to spend.· The crowd interrupted her speech on a number of occasions.
· Can I have your phone number?
(=on a car) Did anyone see the car’s license plate?
Did anyone see the car’s license plate?· Controlling spending is his top priority.
· Pick a random number.
Agassi was at that time ranked sixth in the world.· Pollution in the lake has reached record levels.
· There has been a rise in the number of arrests for drug offences.
a sizeable amount of money Only a relatively small number of people were affected. (=the main suspect)· I was the one who found her. And that makes me the number one suspect for her murder.
(=increase the number of people in a particular situation) Large numbers of refugees have swollen the ranks of the unemployed.
Large numbers of refugees have swollen the ranks of the unemployed. an area twice the size of Britain An unknown number of people were killed. The system can support an unlimited number of users. The government will have to borrow vast amounts of money. The refugees come across the border in vast numbers.· There are thus a considerable number who appear in the autobiographies as simple vignettes.· A review of several estimates of natural gas available between 1980 and 2000 reveals a considerable range of numbers and opinions.· Besides such large and expensive works, Stanton produced a considerable number of relatively simple mural tablets, in a distinctive style.· And a considerable number of economists, though not always in full knowledge of the implications, have conceded the point.· There are a considerable number of provisions which the taxpayer must carefully take into account when setting up an overseas trust.· While a considerable number of the best people stayed on, many also left.· There will often be a considerable number of courses of action which the system itself will not be able to choose between.· A private company differs from a public company in a considerable number of ways.
· For example, the customer might ask to be given equal numbers of 5p and 20p coins for use in a vending machine.· Jinnah had an equal number of meetings with Mountbatten in the same period.· The classes contain approximately equal numbers of members.· One hundred fifty years after the event equal numbers of people might each choose one of the above descriptions.· Foster's office bookcase contains about equal numbers of books on chemistry and on accountancy.· Tracey made a tree with an equal number of rods protruding from each side and all of the same size.· A new civilian police force has been created, with equal numbers of ex-soldiers and ex-guerrillas in its ranks.· While a few felt that the social workers, were helpful and supportive an equal number considered them to be patronizing and authoritarian.
· It now covered a greater geographical area and involved a greater number of powerful States than ever before.· We are in favor of abortion rights and reproductive freedom in greater numbers than men.· To remove such a sacred mound would cause much distress to a great number of people.· Obviously, Camby had great numbers, but how about Edgar Padilla?· The strategy of continuing to exclude women from the union did not prevent their recruitment in ever greater numbers by the employers.· The countryside has been buried under layers of concrete to facilitate its movement in ever greater numbers.· And so ostensibly are the greatest cardinal number and the abominable snowman.· Take the familiar mathematical example of the greatest cardinal number.
· The old bill might be straight in Leyton but there are growing numbers who smoke weed and support calls for legalisation.· A new report says growing numbers of tenants are facing illegal evictions or even threats of violence.· Teachers were leaving the profession in growing numbers because of poor pay and conditions, especially in country areas.· But it is a few rich people who are responsible for this, not the growing numbers of the poor.· The first is the threat which a growing number of them see to the strength and stability of their currency.· A growing number of black intellectuals, and white politicians, disagree.· Another service attracting a growing number of subscribers is Commercial Payment Profile.· We, like our growing number of thinking Ulsterfolk, envisage no future under Westminster dictatorship.
· Willesden County Court, has dealt with the second highest number of repossessions in the country.· The high number of craters suggest Mathilde has been taking hits for several billion years.· We found a much higher number of HAPCs in children than previously reported in adults.· Because demand is so high, the number of listings is at a historic low, too.· Speyside had by far the highest number of farmers requesting the courses themselves - three out of every four.· The company said job losses are likely to be minimal because of the high number of jobs currently open at Home Savings.· He gave warning that the higher the number of small authorities set up, the more the cost would increase.· Franken also avoided military service with student deferments while at Harvard and, ultimately, a high lottery number.
· In an increasing number of countries, use of seat belts in cars is now obligatory.· The involvement of an increasing number of staff in financial planning is another interesting area.· It is sold at the monuments, tourist information centres and through an increasing number of travel trade operators.· These nouveau-riches elites were getting worried about the increasing numbers of poor families camped outside their large houses.· An increasing number of studies using faeces as a sample source have been published recently.· An increasing number of calls come from people looking for start-up premises for small businesses.· An increasing number of builders now offer a service of drawing and submitting plans, although an architect may be more creative.· Many women are teachers and there is an increasing number of women politicians, accountants, lawyers, doctors.
· Thus for large numbers of older workers, poverty is experienced to the official pension ages.· Inclusion of large numbers of very old elderly in the study population will produce the opposite effect.· However, warmth and moisture favour development and allow the accumulation of large numbers of infective stages.· The tale of Gormenghast requires a large number of refractory animals, few of them capable of taking direction.· After all, the Minister is surrounded by a large number of them on the Conservative Benches.· Spread over 112,000 acres, the Sterkfontein and associated sites contain the largest number of fossils found anywhere in the world.· A falling birth-rate is brought about by a large number of changes in society.· But large numbers of people set a value by this differential service, by no means restricted to those one could regard as rich.
· The faculty receives a very large number of applications for the limited number of places available.· These ten programs contend for a limited number of real and symbolic resources.· There is a limited number of places available for our workshop.· Active volcanism at any one time is normally confined to a limited number of centres within a particular cluster.· The research will be conducted by means of a limited number of case studies and will include analysis at three levels.· They suggest that peculiar factors may account for the high levels recorded on a limited number of ground-based instruments.· A limited number of these vouchers were issued each year.· It is only a limited number of pensioners who at present enjoy substantial occupational pensions.
· For the unfit individual, three times per week should be the maximum number of exercise sessions.· It requires each clinic to have a written policy stating a maximum number of pregnancies per donor.· This was done by giving subjects a maximum number of accidents which their estimates could not exceed.· The maximum number of persons working on the site of the establishment and particularly of those persons exposed to hazard 3.· The maximum number of rattles observed is 20.· Action: The maximum number of modules in one package is 30.· What is the maximum number of diners which will have to be accommodated at a sit-down meal?· Finding the maximum number of customers a bank can serve is mind-numbingly complicated.
· He refused to swap it with opposite number Willie Carne after the game because he had promised it to the Mirror.· Aki Hill is there, her opposite number at rival school Oregon State.· So does his opposite number in the Senate, Bennett Johnston of Louisiana.· Finding an opposite number is not always easy.· My opposite numbers, you understand.· His opposite number, Clive Lloyd, had already been through the two formative experiences of his captaincy.· It has its opposite number which is opposed to its life-giving properties.
· Training returns, ammo expenditure, equipment serial number, vehicle mileage - all have to be documented.· They traced the serial numbers and found he had probably killed a military policeman.· The number before each name is the serial number of each claim, and amounts are those due to each creditor.· They arrested me for having a gun with an altered serial number on it.· This register lists them by serial number, price, type of lathe, date sold and to whom.· Each player attempts to fool the others about the serial numbers printed on the face of his dollar bill.· Then, and only then, do the players reveal their serial numbers and determine who is bluffing whom.
· Where a significant number of individuals share a colour that deviates from the species norm, we term it a colour morph.· Morgenson said the letter went out to hundreds of potential supporters and has yielded a significant number of donations.· In recent times, anthropologists have noted that Inuit had almost universally perfect eyesight until significant numbers of them became literate.· Politicians have perceived little gain in granting petitions for something that offends the sensibilities of a significant number of the heterosexual majority.· Macmillan was fortunate to have been granted a significant number of share options in his employer.· But three other regulars also missed a significant number of games.· However, some passenger seat cushions and a significant number of passengers' bodies were recovered and taken to Rhodes.· Korda lacked the resources to lure away a significant number of Rank's key directors.
· Postgraduate Teaching Awards A small number of teaching assistantships and teaching supplements are available annually in some Faculties.· A small number of new initiatives were launched.· This latter point is not easily achieved, especially when questionnaires are used with small numbers.· They did, in fact, take in a small number of elderly people.· He has a scheme to take over a small number of simple churches and adapt them as retreats.· This research aims to investigate, in detail, activity in a small number of committees which vary in operation and intentions.· These large gametes will inevitably be produced in smaller numbers and they will lack mobility.· Only a small number of men accompanied him into the forest.
· Multiply the number of widths by the number of pattern repeats per drop to give the total number of pattern repeats required.· So the total number of dinners on the island is 200, eaten in the comfort of 90 huts.· The total number of cells and of labelled cells within a randomly selected field of view were counted.· The total number of adults diagnosed with diabetes in California is estimated to be 1,393,105.· Multiply the total number of pattern repeats by the size of the repeat to give your total fabric requirement.· The latest redundancies bring the total number of job losses at the factory to thirteen hundred, in less than three years.· This combined number of fewer than 300 audit firms represents less than 3% of the total number registered.· The total number of academic staff has risen from 284 in 1987/88 to 348 in 1991/92.
· Has not the experiment proved a disaster for vast numbers of national health service patients?· Hospitals save a vast number of lives and prevent a vast amount of pain.· There is obviously a vast number of such possible trajectories.· Molly often stayed in her office late into the night, responding by hand to the vast numbers of letters we received.· The South West Region plays host to a vast number of divers all over the country.· Endemic diseases carried away additional vast numbers of people.· After commissions were cut at Harvard, a vast number of Harvard dealers joined the search.· There are a vast number of medicines used to treat troubled sleep, aching joints, headaches and other symptoms.
NOUN· He kissed her and pressed a list of phone numbers and dates and times into her hand.· Call the phone number on the correspondence and explain clearly why you do not owe the tax.· She knew their hotel's phone number.· We cleaned up with Kleenexes, exchanged phone numbers.· Most entertainers give out cards with their own or the agency's phone number on it.· Give a phone number if at all possible.· Customers must provide only their name, address and phone number to be eligible.
· For further details about transitional relief ask your charging authority - the address and telephone number are included with this bill.· Rambam printed business cards carrying a working telephone number complete with voice mail.· I have omitted the address and telephone number Take an imperial sheet of cartridge paper and a small roll of gummed tape.· Selective blocking allows the telephone number to appear on all calls unless customers enter 67 before dialing.· This feature enables both halves of postcodes to be kept together and similarly for telephone numbers.· In his letter to the student the dean included his home telephone number.· Distances to resorts, information on speed limits, tolls, accident procedure and useful telephone numbers are also mentioned.· In the employee newsletter, telephone numbers are listed to report suspicions about co-workers.
VERB· The move will double the number of people who can attend this popular event, from 4000 to 8000.· Can you double the number of homes on a plot of land without making the residents claustrophobic or the neighbors ballistic?· We will double the number of Safer Cities Schemes to cover 40 urban areas.· With this aspect behind it, applications shot up, nearly doubling the number of EMs in the program.· In Leicester youth court, the influx of 17-year-olds has doubled the number of juvenile offenders coming before magistrates.· In one facetious article he promised to show the government how to double the number of jobs in the railroad industry.· As to the enforcement of lorry weights, we have doubled the number of inspections over the past five years.· The way to outvote them was to double the number of people who held to the old ways.
· A growing number of workers are put on short-term contracts which are renewed only if their work is up to scratch.· Such conditions were ideal for spreading the disease; men contracted it in growing numbers and brought it home.· This organism often grows in low numbers, and many laboratories still regard it as a contaminant.· Brighter street lights, however, could not direct attention from the growing number of commercial eyesores taking power from the canal.· A growing number had already been worrying about the social and corporate consequences of such massive restructurings.· But a small rebellion has started and is growing, say a number of shoe designers and manufacturers and doctors.· It was a good march, a splendid march which grew in numbers and confidence with every step along the way.· There were, however, a growing number of black announcers, most notably Jack Cooper, whose career began in 1929.
· A parallel trend which has been widely perceived but less well documented is that of increasing numbers of authors per article.· An increasing number of parents are requesting this experience.· A meeting with the Planning Inspectorate considered increasing the number of architect inspectors.· Since then the number of dwellings has actually increased faster than the number of families.· The local council in Yokohama hopes to increase the number of these trucks to 30 in the near future.· Once uncommon in our waters, they have become more abundant as anchovies, a favored food, have increased in numbers.· The poll tax will increase the numbers eligible for housing benefit.· Inexpensive ways of getting online could increase the number in the next few years.
· Like others, Alexander wants to cut congressional pensions and limit the number of terms that lawmakers can serve.· Both are equally limited in the number of troops, tanks and artillery they can position near the border.· They deliberately limit the number of guests to six at any one time as they aim to preserve the home-from-home atmosphere.· A college football association is charged with conspiring to limit the number of college games that football fans can see on television.· They would limit the number of performance quality breakthroughs in round two to between twenty and twenty-five.· She is most strict on where we go and limits the number of our visitors.· What is needed is a system rather than a handful of programs limited to a small number of schools and companies.
· Polio, apparently passed on from a human epidemic in the region, had already reduced their numbers.· What more would local leaders and social service providers like to see done to reduce the ominous numbers?· Meanwhile police have launched a new campaign to reduce the number of distraction burglaries, which increased by fifteen percent last year.· Those who stayed in business reduced their herd to numbers which they could more easily feed and take care of year round.· This helps to reduce the number of green tubers.· Amanda immediately hired additional support personnel and reduced the number of calls each of her teams were expected to make each week.· If the drill is a success, it could reduce the numbers of offshore rigs needed for drilling at sea.· The Clinton administration has pressed all agencies to reduce the number of supervisors.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► black/elegant etc (little) number► somebody’s number comes up► numbersPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a goodish distance/number etc► somebody’s opposite number► there is safety in numbers► number one/two/three etc seed► shoot to number one/to the top of the charts etc► X number of people/things
- You can tell Cara has his number. She knows exactly how to handle him when he's mad.
- This could be the year a lot of politicians find their number is up.
- When my number is up, I want it to be quick.
- Competition prize winners Kathryn Winkler of Dundee, your lucky number is up.
- Get Charlie to look at the numbers and develop a business plan.
- playing the numbers
- Given the numbers of the disadvantaged, critics of Treasury ridicule the whole proposal.
- In actual fact, we do know now a great deal more than when the numbers game began.
- In Oxford, although the numbers of infected heterosexuals are low, they're rising dramatically.
- Once in a while, the numbers fall, the abacus clicks into a pattern.
- See the numbers, he said.
- Some of the numbers were underlined and some were circled.
- Such individuals will then continue to breed, and the numbers will not sink as rapidly as the population controllers would like.
- The finding documented apparent voter fraud, but the numbers were nowhere near enough to change the results of the election.
- Certain things, such as electric charge, bank balances, or dates are quantified by numbers of this kind.
- Healthy living by numbers A low cholesterol level means reduced risk of heart disease, say doctors.
- It had happened before, she must just plot the next square like painting by numbers.
- The numerous shades were indicated by numbers.
- These consist of a capital letter followed by numbers.
- We were just cueing the sections by numbers, which is how they do it in New Orleans.
- Weeks later, she was still painting by numbers.
- Danny did a real number on the car.
- It was a small piece of shrapnel, but it did a number on the left cheek of my hind end.
- It is to risk leaving out what religion is really about, rather like music without sound, or mathematics without numbers.
- The potential applications are almost without number.
- They forgot the message times without number.
- Zbigniew Shapira, not yet thirty, had talents without number.
- A little later Bacon appeared, walked up to their table and asked Minton why he did not look after his back numbers.
- Anyway, I thought you ought to know you have your reader back, and I enclose £4 for 4 back issues.
- Lifelong readers who kept the back issues piled in their attics renewed their subscriptions like clockwork at the five-year rate.
- Mackey had seen handbooks on guerrilla tactics, back issues of a racist magazine Guy published.
- My parents collected all their copies of Wimpey News and we have back numbers going back to the 1940s.
- Six issues cost $ 39, and new and back issues are available.
- A $ 7 parking fee and an automatic $ 12. 15 tip brought the total to $ 93. 15.
- By the time it was eventually closed in 1988, new investors had brought the total to £116 million.
- Cruz also said Muni planned to hire at least 12 additional safety staffers, bringing the total to 72.
- It is estimated that this element would bring the total to over 20,000.
- Michael Forbes of New York, already had declared his opposition to Gingrich, bringing the total to four.
- More than 30 square miles have been annexed into the city, bringing the total to 193.
- The armed forces are said to have sent an extra 2,000 troops to the border area, bringing the total to 3,500.
- Books can be entered and modified as can contact details.
- Frequently there is no contact number, so even if we like the music, we can't do much about it.
- Gave the name of his solicitors in London as his contact address.
- The video box illustration carries various official body contact addresses on the back for further information on the river.
- These advertisements generally use a Box number at the publication as the contact address and may be placed by the client.
- These provide the contact details and an indication of charges for more than 20 online brokers.
- This time we have remembered to put our contact numbers below.
- Linked together, they can crunch numbers as fast as any mainframe, but at a fraction of the cost.
- One crunched numbers; they were very important to him.
- She lived for the day when she could crunch numbers in the dry air of West Texas.
- I think Harry's days as a bachelor are numbered.
- But if the church has its way, the garden's days are numbered.
- He knows his days are numbered.
- If Gordon Gekko is still around, his days are numbered.
- My image flickers and your days are numbered.
- Whatever the protests, it seems that Hospital's days are numbered.
- Rats have been branded public enemy No. 1 in Bangladesh.
- She had done nothing wrong, yet between them Rourke and Rebecca were making her feel like public enemy number one.
- Taylor has turned into public enemy number one.
- But a fair number of them went on to greater things.
- It prefers a fair amount of nutritious detritus.
- Scientists must proceed cautiously, moving ahead only with the assent of a fair number of their colleagues.
- Thanks to the inherently leaky nature of the water industry, there is already a fair amount of information to go on.
- That involved a fair amount of travel.
- There was a fair amount going on.
- They'd have a fair bit of tidying up to do before they left.
- You may also be involved in a fair amount of travel.
- It seems fair to assume that she will attract the attention of a goodly number of our countrymen.
- Small Dave had spent a goodly amount of time impressing upon him the importance of finding a camel.
- The Thatcher Years have been splendid ones for a goodly number of golf members throughout this Royal and Ancient land of ours.
- The Maharishi's followers say that 7000 is a magic number.
- Al knew at once that he had heard A very secret magic word.
- Bacon could argue that Antichrist would invoke stellar influences and magic words having the power to produce physical effects.
- Charles would capture one of the boys and only release him if he said the magic word.
- For Geteles and others, potential was the magic word, the answer to all the talk about standards.
- If that magic number is reached, the deal becomes an international treaty.
- Once a patient has his magic number, does it have any effect?
- The magic words had been uttered.
- This is done by listening to a tape and writing on your application form a magic number.
- We manoeuvre in the world constantly looking out for Number One.
- An odd number of classes provides a neutral mid-point.
- An individual scorer might be useful where an odd number of people are concerned.
- Clearly the northern fleet is being reinforced from the southern; but why the odd numbers?
- Erect verticals upon the odd numbers, 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.
- He said that we have to prove that no odd number can be perfect.
- I have no idea why it is always an odd number.
- Three arrangements with eight fences; five with ten fences ... odd numbers ... Was there a pattern?
- You need to have an odd number of colours, including the background.
- Because of the high cost of providing and gathering this information, Climbline would not exist were it not a premium rate service.
- Choice has not been considered in premium rate services.
- That is certainly true in the context of telecommunications and, more specifically, in premium rate services.
- She had done nothing wrong, yet between them Rourke and Rebecca were making her feel like public enemy number one.
- Taylor has turned into public enemy number one.
- Additional disk space is a dollar or two per megabyte per month, depending on total amount.
- Microcell bid only in southern Ontario for a total cost of $ 19.2-million.
- Multiply the number of widths by the number of pattern repeats per drop to give the total number of pattern repeats required.
- The total amount of contributions and tax paid by each employee is entered on the P35.
- The total cost has been several million pounds more than budgeted.
- The total number of jobless rose to 615, 830 from 609, 670.
- The total number of registered voters was 1,732,000 aged 16 and over.
WORD FAMILYnounnumbernumeralnumeracynumeratorinnumeracyadjectiveinnumerablenumericalnumerousnumerate ≠ innumerateverbnumberoutnumberadverbnumerically
1number [countable] a word or sign that represents an exact amount or quantity: They wrote various numbers on a large sheet of paper. Add all the numbers together.an even number (=2, 4, 6, 8 etc)an odd number (=1, 3, 5, 7 etc)a round number (=one ending in 0) A hundred pounds is a good round number. I’m no good with numbers.2phone [countable] a phone number: My new number is 502–6155.somebody’s home/office/work number I gave him my home number.mobile/fax number What’s your mobile number? Sorry, you have the wrong number.3in a set/list [countable] a number used to show the position of something in an ordered set or list: Answer question number 4. a number 17 bus → E number, No. 10, number one14for recognizing somebody/something [countable] a set of numbers used to name or recognize someone or somethingmodel/account etc number What is your account number, please? Press 1 to change the printer number. Did you get the number (=registration number) of the car? → box number, PIN, serial number5amount [countable, uncountable] an amount of something that can be counted SYN quantitythe number of something The number of cars on our roads rose dramatically last year.a number of something We have been friends for a number of years.in number The condors have dwindled to an estimated sixty in number.GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• You use a singular verb after the number of: · The number of people is increasing.• You use a plural verb after a number of (=several): · A number of issues were discussed.6numbers [plural] how many people there are, especially people attending an event or doing an activity together: Can you give me some idea of numbers?student/client etc numbers Visitor numbers increase in the summer. The sheer weight of numbers (=large number of people) on stage made the performance more impressive.7music [countable] a piece of popular music that forms part of a longer performance: Madonna sang several numbers from her latest album. → production number► see thesaurus at music8magazine [countable] British English a copy of a magazine or newspaper printed on a particular date SYN issuenumber of
I was reading the latest number of ‘Surfing’. back numbers (=old copies) of ‘The Times’9have somebody’s number informal to understand something about someone that helps you deal with them: Judy had always had his number.10 black/elegant etc (little) number informal a black, elegant etc dress or suit, especially a woman’s: She was wearing a chic little number.11somebody’s number comes up someone has the winning number in a competition12 somebody’s number is up (also somebody’s number has come up) informal a)used to say that someone will stop being lucky or successful b)used to say that someone will die – used humorously: She told her husband she didn’t mind going when her number was up.13the numbers a)information about something that is shown using numbers: Chris, have you got the numbers yet? b)an illegal game in the US in which people risk money on the appearance of a combination of numbers in a newspaper: playing the numbers14by numbers if you do something by numbers, you do it in a basic way by following a set of simple instructions – used to show disapproval: The last thing we want is teaching by numbers.15do a number on somebody/something informal to hurt or damage someone or something badly: Tod really did a number on the old house. I don’t envy the new tenants.16beyond/without number literary if things are beyond number, there are so many of them that no one could count them all17group of people [uncountable] formal a group of peopleone/two/several etc of our/their number Only three of our number could speak Italian. They wanted to choose a leader from among their own number.18grammar [uncountable] technical the form of a word, depending on whether one thing or more than one thing is being talked about: ‘Horses’ is plural in number, while ‘horse’ is singular.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 1adjectivesa lucky number (=a number you think gives you good luck)· Three is my lucky number.an even number (=2, 4, 6, 8 etc)· All even numbers can be divided by 2.an odd number (=1, 3, 5, 7 etc)· You can’t work in pairs if you’ve got an odd number of people.a round number (=a number ending in zero)· A hundred is a nice round number.a positive number (=a number that is more than zero)· Maths is easier if you are dealing with positive numbers.a negative/minus number (=a number that is less than zero)· Can a negative number have a square root?a prime number (=a number such as 13 that can be divided only by itself and 1)· After 7, what is the next prime number?a cardinal number (=a number such as 1, 2, or 3 that shows how many of something there are)· Numbers go on to infinity, so there is no last cardinal number.an ordinal number (=a number such as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd that shows where something comes in a series or list)· The children learn about position and ordinal numbers when they stand in a line.a whole number (=a number that is not a fraction)verbsadd numbers together· Add the two numbers together and divide by three.add up numbers (=add several numbers together)· Write all the numbers down, then add them up.subtract one number from another· Subtract this number from the total.multiply one number by another· What happens if you multiply a positive number by a negative number?divide one number by another· You can’t divide a prime number by any other number, except 1.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 5adjectivesa large/great number· A large number of children were running around in the playground.a vast/huge number (=very large)· We’ve had a huge number of complaints.a high number· There seems to be no reason for the high number of suicides.a considerable/substantial/significant number (=quite a large number)· He received a substantial number of votes.· A considerable number of students left after the first year.a good number (=quite a lot)· He has written a good number of books for children.a small number· The class had only a small number of students.a low number· the low numbers of women involved in sports coachinga limited number (=quite small)· A limited number of copies were printed.a tiny number (=very small)· Only a tiny number of these animals remain in the wild.a growing/increasing number· An increasing number of women are entering the profession.verbsincrease the number of something· As you improve, increase the number of times you do each exercise.reduce the number of something· We need to reduce the number of cars on the road.a number increases/goes up/grows/rises· The number of mobile phones has increased dramatically.a number doubles (=becomes twice as big)· The number of road accidents has doubled in the last ten years.a number falls/drops/goes down/decreases/declines· The number of new houses being built is falling steadily.a number halves (=becomes twice as small)· The number of children failing at school has halved in recent years.phrasesin large/increasing/limited etc numbers· Birds nest here in large numbers.any number of something (=a very large number of them)· There have been any number of magazine articles about the celebrity couple.bring the number to 25, 120 etc· This will bring the number of jobs lost at the company to 85.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘a big number of people/things’. Say a large number of people/things.number1 nounnumber2 verb
numbernumber2 ●○○ verb VERB TABLE
number
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | number |
| he, she, it | numbers | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | numbered |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have numbered |
| he, she, it | has numbered | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had numbered |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will number |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have numbered |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am numbering |
| he, she, it | is numbering | |
| you, we, they | are numbering | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was numbering |
| you, we, they | were numbering | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been numbering |
| he, she, it | has been numbering | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been numbering |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be numbering |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been numbering |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Fifteen years ago, Kenya's elephant population numbered 65,000.
- If you don't number your answers, how will I know which questions they refer to?
- In the capital, unemployed workers now number 12% of the workforce.
- Our student body numbered 400 last year.
- The crowd of students numbered at least 2000.
- The program will automatically number the pages of your reports.
- The streets in the Bronx are numbered.
- This function numbers all the pages in a document.
- We finished numbering the seats just as the audience began to arrive.
- It still seems like a recession to the unemployed workers, now numbering 5 percent of the workforce.
- Outside the breeding season they form flocks, sometimes numbering thousands.
- Republicans now number 3 million and Democrats 3. 5 million.
- The first batch of railcoaches took fleet numbers 200-224, and a second was delivered in 1935 numbered 264-283.
- The street door was locked so I pressed the button numbered 11 on the squawk box built into the porch.
- We will use squares numbered 2 to 41 on the width and squares 2 to 38 high, or multiples of this.
Longman Language Activatora written number
a word or sign that is used to talk about an exact quantity or to show the position of something in a series: · Each player has a number on the back of their shirt.number 12/20/4 etc: · I live at number 12 Liverpool Road.· Raffle ticket number 241 wins the dinner for two at La Fiorentina.even number (=2,4,6,8,10 etc): · The game works best with an even number of children.odd number (=1,3,5,7,9 etc): · All the doors on this side of the street have odd numbers.phone/passport/registration/licence etc number: · What's your phone number?· Write your social security number in the appropriate box of the tax form.
a number written as a sign, not as a word: · On a cheque, write the amount in words and in figures.double figures (=more than 9 and less than 100) British: · Temperatures reached double figures for the first time this spring, going as high as 14 degrees.single figures (=less than 10) British: · The inflation rate was still in single figures. (=less than 10%)five-figure/six-figure etc (=a number that has five, six etc figures in it): · The managing director earns a six-figure salary.figure 8 (=a shape like the number 8): · The pond is shaped like a figure eight with a bridge across the middle.
a single number between 0 and 9, for example 1, 5, or 8 - used especially in formal or technical contexts: · French telephone numbers have six digits.· This calculator can display only nine digits at a time.· To unlock the gate you must know the four-digit security code.double-digit (=more than 9 and less than 100)) American: · The nation has not experienced double-digit inflation for many years.
a sign that represents a number in a particular number system, especially a system that is no longer generally used: Arabic/Roman/European etc numerals: · The European numbers 1, 2, 3 and so on, are based on Arabic numerals.· The date was written in Roman numerals -- MCMLXXXII.
a number used in representing a quantity a number of people, things etc, especially a number that has been counted for official purposes: · There have been several cases of tuberculosis, and the number is rising.number of: · The number of cars on the roads increased by 22% last year.· The regulations limit the number of students in each class.a large/small etc number of people/things etc: · An enormous number of people wrote to complain about last night's show.
a number, especially an officially supplied number, showing an amount, how much something has increased, how much it has decreased etc: · Government figures published today show that unemployment is rising again.· The total value of all drugs seized by the police reached a record figure of $116,000,000.· Inflation in Japan is around 3%, while the German figure is now over 4%.sales figures: · Retailers are reporting their November sales figures today.
information about financial matters, social changes etc, which is shown in the form of numbers: · Statistics show that the number of women managers has risen continuously for the last 25 years.· According to the latest government statistics, 2 million people retired last year.
the number of people killed or injured in accidents, by illness etc: · The final toll was 83 dead and more than 100 injured.death toll: · The death toll from the earthquake has risen still further in the worst disaster since 1952.
to write or put numbers on a set of things to write or put numbers on a set of things: · We finished numbering the seats just as the audience began to arrive.· The program will automatically number the pages of your reports.· If you don't number your answers, how will I know which questions they refer to?
something such as a seat, a ticket, or a page that is numbered has a number written on it: · The tickets are numbered, so you can find your seat quite easily.· A series of numbered diagrams illustrate the results of the experiment.numbered from one/five etc to ten/fifteen etc: · The squares are numbered from one to ten.
when several numbers produce another number as a total to be the total amount when everything is counted: · Including wine, the bill came to $70.· Total profits from all sources for the year came to about $15 million.
if a total reaches 10, 50, 100 etc, it increases until it is equal to that number: · Hurricane damage could reach billions of dollars.· China's economic output is likely to reach $13 trillion within the next few years.· The city's population is expected to reach 12 million by the year 2010.
if numbers added together make 10, 50, 100 etc, that is the answer or the total: · Two plus two makes four.· If Jane comes, that will make six of us.· There are eight submarines as well as the ships, making a total fleet of 34.
if a set of several figures adds up to 10, 50 etc, that is the total when you add them all together: · The three angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees.· If you follow the diet exactly, it adds up to about 1,200 calories per day.· With the hotel, the flights, and the food, it all added up to much more than I had expected.
to reach a total, especially a large total: · Credit card fraud amounts to about $17 million a year.· Nationally, deaths from smoking-related illnesses amount to about 30 people each day.· A thousand-word essay might amount to roughly 6,000 bytes on a computer disk.
to reach a particular total - used especially in official contexts: · The company was forced to pay fines and penalties totalling $24.8.· The number of people included in the study totalled 170.
if a group of people or things numbers a particular figure, especially a large figure, that is the total when they are all included: · The crowd of students numbered at least 2000.· In the capital, unemployed workers now number 12% of the workforce.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Each check is numbered consecutively. Number the questions 1 to 25.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES We’ve saved a considerable amount of money. a very cushy number (=an easy job or life) Can I take your daytime telephone number (=the number of the telephone you use during the day)? 4305 is a four-digit number. Within two years the company had doubled in size. A promise was given to double the number of police on duty. We’ll need double this amount for eight people. Do you know Mr Brown’s extension number? A growing number of people are taking part-time jobs. The Beatles’ greatest hits. Which band had a hit with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’? There was an infinite variety of drinks to choose from. A large number of students have signed up for the course. There are only a limited number of tickets available. Work out the maximum amount you can afford to spend. Agassi was at that time ranked sixth in the world. a sizeable amount of money Only a relatively small number of people were affected. an area twice the size of Britain An unknown number of people were killed. The system can support an unlimited number of users. The government will have to borrow vast amounts of money. The refugees come across the border in vast numbers.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
Each check is numbered consecutively. Number the questions 1 to 25.· What's your card number?
· In 1962 'Love Me Do' reached only number 17 in the charts.
We’ve saved a considerable amount of money. a very cushy number (=an easy job or life) Can I take your daytime telephone number (=the number of the telephone you use during the day)? 4305 is a four-digit number. Within two years the company had doubled in size. A promise was given to double the number of police on duty. We’ll need double this amount for eight people.· Both candidates received an equal number of votes.
· In higher education, women are equal in numbers to men.
· I don’t know the exact amount, but it was a lot.
Do you know Mr Brown’s extension number?· A combination of factors led to the closure of the factory.
· She told Dave that she was his number one fan.
(=a number in the thousands/ten thousands/hundred thousands etc)· Choose a four figure number that you can easily remember.
· Write the flight number on all your luggage labels.
A growing number of people are taking part-time jobs. The Beatles’ greatest hits. Which band had a hit with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’? (=the address or telephone number of your house)
There was an infinite variety of drinks to choose from. A large number of students have signed up for the course. There are only a limited number of tickets available. (=think only of the advantages you can get for yourself)
Work out the maximum amount you can afford to spend.· The crowd interrupted her speech on a number of occasions.
· Can I have your phone number?
(=on a car) Did anyone see the car’s license plate?
Did anyone see the car’s license plate?· Controlling spending is his top priority.
· Pick a random number.
Agassi was at that time ranked sixth in the world.· Pollution in the lake has reached record levels.
· There has been a rise in the number of arrests for drug offences.
a sizeable amount of money Only a relatively small number of people were affected. (=the main suspect)· I was the one who found her. And that makes me the number one suspect for her murder.
(=increase the number of people in a particular situation) Large numbers of refugees have swollen the ranks of the unemployed.
Large numbers of refugees have swollen the ranks of the unemployed. an area twice the size of Britain An unknown number of people were killed. The system can support an unlimited number of users. The government will have to borrow vast amounts of money. The refugees come across the border in vast numbers.· By 1907 it had its own herdbook and numbered about 35,000.· The attempt at adding-machine accuracy shows how serious the priests were about numbering the new saints bound for heaven.· At the rally, numbering about 1,500 as Scargill predicted, I eavesdrop unashamedly.· The whole community with their servants numbered about thirty.· The music-loving elector had immediately installed a substantial orchestra, which by 1777 numbered about 45 players.
· A count of women and children at copper mines in 1787 suggests that then women workers may have numbered around 1,500.· We pass our phone numbers around for various league-ball possibilities.· Nevertheless the future of the red kite looks secure, numbering around forty eight pairs in recent years.· Today its workforce numbers around 100.· The Karavas, whose traditional occupation was fishing, numbered around ten percent of the Sinhalese population.· The vast army numbered around 100,000 cavalry and 25,000 musketeers as well as divisions of war elephants and camel-artillery.
· Each pad has an identifying number, and each check is numbered consecutively.· Except in the shortest of particulars of claim, allegations should be divided into paragraphs and numbered consecutively.
· All told, the assault force and its reserves probably numbered nearly 15, 000 men.
· His days are now numbered as Chancellor, but who the Hell cares about Norman Lamont?· Republicans now number 3 million and Democrats 3. 5 million.· Over 23,000 new members joined thanks to the 1990 campaign and membership currently stands at 190,000, with Governors now numbering 29,676.· It still seems like a recession to the unemployed workers, now numbering 5 percent of the workforce.· The student body now numbers some 500, of which about seventy per cent come from the department of Ayacucho.
· By 1640, 100,000 planters had arrived in Ireland when the native population numbered only one million inhabitants.· But after the hoopla, the exposition slumped, admissions at first numbering only fifteen or twenty thousand per day.· These pioneer clinics, which numbered only sixteen even by 1930, had treated only 21,000 women by that time.
NOUN· The vast army numbered around 100,000 cavalry and 25,000 musketeers as well as divisions of war elephants and camel-artillery.· Later it was recorded that the castellan of Amboise's army numbered 200 knights and 1,000 footsoldiers.
· After you have numbered the days, you tear off the page.
· Most meat distributions involve a local group numbering between fifty and one hundred individuals.· This group numbers 167. 5 million, of whom half are adolescents.· The caretaking group numbered nine men.
· A very substantial force, perhaps numbering 15,000 men, assembled at Portsmouth in July 1346.· The caretaking group numbered nine men.
· They numbered about a million people.· This group numbers 167. 5 million, of whom half are adolescents.· Individual recipients numbered 14. 2 million, including 9 million children.· Republicans now number 3 million and Democrats 3. 5 million.
· Similarly, each page is uniquely numbered.· One of the fastest ways to list is simply to drop your points on the page, numbering as you go.· Select option 6 for page numbering in the bottom center of every page.· And leafing through the book, I read the page numbers out loud, too.· This is another annoying trend among some of the slicker glossies: leaving page numbers out whenever they feel like it.· The page numbering will now begin with this page, the first page of actual text. 4.
· We pass our phone numbers around for various league-ball possibilities.· They include: How new local phone numbers would be created.
· By 1640, 100,000 planters had arrived in Ireland when the native population numbered only one million inhabitants.
· The firm began making Social Security numbers available through its P-Trak service last year, something competing firms have done for years.
· On one he found four telephone numbers with out-of-state area codes.· There are spaces for emergency telephone numbers, parents' and neighbors' numbers and additional numbers.
· Outside the breeding season they form flocks, sometimes numbering thousands.· Rules numbered in the thousands, requiring a large investment in experts' time, rule development, and rule maintenance.· But since those men were numbered in thousands - with every opportunity in the world for rekindling those ugly sparks of revolution.· Their flocks numbered in the thousands, earning them the nickname of migrating millionaires'.· The private Acts of Parliament affecting local authorities were numbered in thousands.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► number among something/be numbered among somethingPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a goodish distance/number etc► somebody’s opposite number► there is safety in numbers► number one/two/three etc seed► shoot to number one/to the top of the charts etc► X number of people/things
- But if the church has its way, the garden's days are numbered.
- He knows his days are numbered.
- If Gordon Gekko is still around, his days are numbered.
- My image flickers and your days are numbered.
- Whatever the protests, it seems that Hospital's days are numbered.
- A little later Bacon appeared, walked up to their table and asked Minton why he did not look after his back numbers.
- Anyway, I thought you ought to know you have your reader back, and I enclose £4 for 4 back issues.
- Lifelong readers who kept the back issues piled in their attics renewed their subscriptions like clockwork at the five-year rate.
- Mackey had seen handbooks on guerrilla tactics, back issues of a racist magazine Guy published.
- My parents collected all their copies of Wimpey News and we have back numbers going back to the 1940s.
- Six issues cost $ 39, and new and back issues are available.
- A $ 7 parking fee and an automatic $ 12. 15 tip brought the total to $ 93. 15.
- By the time it was eventually closed in 1988, new investors had brought the total to £116 million.
- Cruz also said Muni planned to hire at least 12 additional safety staffers, bringing the total to 72.
- It is estimated that this element would bring the total to over 20,000.
- Michael Forbes of New York, already had declared his opposition to Gingrich, bringing the total to four.
- More than 30 square miles have been annexed into the city, bringing the total to 193.
- The armed forces are said to have sent an extra 2,000 troops to the border area, bringing the total to 3,500.
- Books can be entered and modified as can contact details.
- Frequently there is no contact number, so even if we like the music, we can't do much about it.
- Gave the name of his solicitors in London as his contact address.
- The video box illustration carries various official body contact addresses on the back for further information on the river.
- These advertisements generally use a Box number at the publication as the contact address and may be placed by the client.
- These provide the contact details and an indication of charges for more than 20 online brokers.
- This time we have remembered to put our contact numbers below.
- Linked together, they can crunch numbers as fast as any mainframe, but at a fraction of the cost.
- One crunched numbers; they were very important to him.
- She lived for the day when she could crunch numbers in the dry air of West Texas.
- I think Harry's days as a bachelor are numbered.
- But if the church has its way, the garden's days are numbered.
- He knows his days are numbered.
- If Gordon Gekko is still around, his days are numbered.
- My image flickers and your days are numbered.
- Whatever the protests, it seems that Hospital's days are numbered.
- Rats have been branded public enemy No. 1 in Bangladesh.
- She had done nothing wrong, yet between them Rourke and Rebecca were making her feel like public enemy number one.
- Taylor has turned into public enemy number one.
- But a fair number of them went on to greater things.
- It prefers a fair amount of nutritious detritus.
- Scientists must proceed cautiously, moving ahead only with the assent of a fair number of their colleagues.
- Thanks to the inherently leaky nature of the water industry, there is already a fair amount of information to go on.
- That involved a fair amount of travel.
- There was a fair amount going on.
- They'd have a fair bit of tidying up to do before they left.
- You may also be involved in a fair amount of travel.
- It seems fair to assume that she will attract the attention of a goodly number of our countrymen.
- Small Dave had spent a goodly amount of time impressing upon him the importance of finding a camel.
- The Thatcher Years have been splendid ones for a goodly number of golf members throughout this Royal and Ancient land of ours.
- The Maharishi's followers say that 7000 is a magic number.
- Al knew at once that he had heard A very secret magic word.
- Bacon could argue that Antichrist would invoke stellar influences and magic words having the power to produce physical effects.
- Charles would capture one of the boys and only release him if he said the magic word.
- For Geteles and others, potential was the magic word, the answer to all the talk about standards.
- If that magic number is reached, the deal becomes an international treaty.
- Once a patient has his magic number, does it have any effect?
- The magic words had been uttered.
- This is done by listening to a tape and writing on your application form a magic number.
- We manoeuvre in the world constantly looking out for Number One.
- An odd number of classes provides a neutral mid-point.
- An individual scorer might be useful where an odd number of people are concerned.
- Clearly the northern fleet is being reinforced from the southern; but why the odd numbers?
- Erect verticals upon the odd numbers, 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.
- He said that we have to prove that no odd number can be perfect.
- I have no idea why it is always an odd number.
- Three arrangements with eight fences; five with ten fences ... odd numbers ... Was there a pattern?
- You need to have an odd number of colours, including the background.
- Because of the high cost of providing and gathering this information, Climbline would not exist were it not a premium rate service.
- Choice has not been considered in premium rate services.
- That is certainly true in the context of telecommunications and, more specifically, in premium rate services.
- She had done nothing wrong, yet between them Rourke and Rebecca were making her feel like public enemy number one.
- Taylor has turned into public enemy number one.
- Additional disk space is a dollar or two per megabyte per month, depending on total amount.
- Microcell bid only in southern Ontario for a total cost of $ 19.2-million.
- Multiply the number of widths by the number of pattern repeats per drop to give the total number of pattern repeats required.
- The total amount of contributions and tax paid by each employee is entered on the P35.
- The total cost has been several million pounds more than budgeted.
- The total number of jobless rose to 615, 830 from 609, 670.
- The total number of registered voters was 1,732,000 aged 16 and over.
WORD FAMILYnounnumbernumeralnumeracynumeratorinnumeracyadjectiveinnumerablenumericalnumerousnumerate ≠ innumerateverbnumberoutnumberadverbnumerically
1[transitive] to give a number to something that is part of an ordered set or list: They haven’t numbered the pages of the report. All the seats in the theatre are numbered. Each check is numbered consecutively. a numbering systemnumber something (from) 1 to 10/100 etc Number the questions 1 to 25.2[linking verb] if people or things number a particular amount, that is how many there are: The population of the town numbered about 5,000. The men on strike now number 5% of the workforce.3somebody’s/something’s days are numbered used to say that someone or something cannot live or continue for much longer: I knew my days were numbered at that firm.4number among something/be numbered among something formal to be included as one of a particular group: He was a successful corporate lawyer who numbered among his clients JP Morgan and Standard Oil.5[transitive] literary to count something: Who can number the stars?number off phrasal verb British English if soldiers number off, each one calls out their number when their turn comes SYN count off American English