| 释义 |
Definition of number in English: numbernoun ˈnʌmbəˈnəmbər 1An arithmetical value, expressed by a word, symbol, or figure, representing a particular quantity and used in counting and making calculations. think of a number from one to ten and multiply it by three Example sentencesExamples - She said they enjoy coming up with different combinations of numbers.
- The real number system consists of all numbers that can be represented by infinite decimals.
- Finding the ideal ratio of words to numbers may prove a fruitful area for further research.
- For most purposes this number system could represent all the numbers which might arise in normal day to day life.
- According to Bellavitis, the plane does not just provide a means to represent complex numbers.
- We need to think more carefully about numbers and the mathematics we use to work with them.
- He is perhaps best known for playing a role in the development of the ASCII code for representing English characters as numbers.
- It is a personal state of being that cannot be reduced to numbers and decimal points.
- Hyphenated words, symbols, numbers, and abbreviations were counted as one word.
- We also counted the number of words, abbreviations, symbols, numbers, and values in each record.
- Vedic scholars did not use figures for big numbers in their numerical notation.
- Is it the numerator of a Bernoullian number, or one occurring in some continued fraction?
- For our geometrical problem, g is a positive number so the first value is the one we want.
- These are combined and shown both in actual numbers and as ratios in the bar graph.
- He considered computation with irrational numbers and polynomials to be part of algebra.
- It made possible the standardization of texts as well as symbols, numbers, and figures.
- A child with a math disability has problems with numbers and math symbols.
- The whole number part starts off your list of numbers for the continued fraction.
- Book 3 contains a description of how to carry out arithmetic with irrational numbers.
- Note that the allelic state for a pair of lineages is represented by two numbers in brackets.
Synonyms numeral, integer, figure, digit character, symbol whole number, decimal number, decimal, unit cardinal number, ordinal number Roman number, Arabic number rare cipher - 1.1 A figure or group of figures used to identify someone or something.
she picked up the phone and dialled his home number Example sentencesExamples - Her third round opponent is none other than the Belgian number two seed Kim Clijsters.
- I can't abide rock, not least because it has 7 different E numbers in it and smells horrible.
- Of course, many of my books are British editions with slightly different page numbers.
- At the moment I'm wrestling with huge combinations of ISBN numbers and country codes.
- Sequences included in this study and their accession numbers are listed in table 1.
- Greater Manchester Police issued a number for friends or relatives to contact.
- She has helped take George to the number three slot in the UK clothing market.
- A brief name description and gene ID accession number is given to the right hand side of each ratio.
- A minimum of one Lotto ticket serial number is drawn from all valid tickets each Lotto draw.
- When travelling to the US, it pays to remember the combination numbers on your suitcase.
- If the numbers are different or the label is missing, then the unit has almost certainly been stolen and reprogrammed.
- The club has also issued a hotline number which residents can call if they have any complaints about the event.
- Soon I had scribbled down phone numbers of five different institutions teaching English in Hong Kong.
- At the Munich Lions he wears the number eight jersey.
- Why not just send them a phone book of every classified number in Great Britain.
- He will revert to the bench with his number eight slot assumed by skipper Kay.
- Relieved of the number three slot, Dravid had the occasional opportunity to play finisher.
- Number eight seed Guillermo Coria upset Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian to reach the semi-finals.
- In a tense final he was beaten by the championship's number two seed Bobby Brook.
- I cannot produce statistical data of vehicle numbers and velocities to corroborate these assertions, but I have no doubts.
- 1.2numbersdated Arithmetic.
the boy was adept at numbers
2A quantity or amount. the company is seeking to increase the number of women on its staff the exhibition attracted vast numbers of visitors Example sentencesExamples - Ham House's ghost tours are attracting an increasing number of visitors.
- The museum has exceeded expected visitor numbers and hit its 300,000 annual target within its first six months.
- Five of the 10 harvested fruits were cut transversely to calculate the average locule number per fruit and average fruit.
- Metrolink had opened in 1992 and doubled its passenger numbers over the next nine years.
- The EP has rejected the Council's common position on only a limited number of occasions.
- The numbers grow more staggering everyday, making the recovery from Hurricane Charley seem even more daunting.
- However, the numbers have dwindled to less than a quarter what they once were.
- The airport will need to be able to facilitate quick flight turnarounds as well as deal with growing passenger numbers.
- He said: " I'm alarmed by the growing number of occasions when guns are used.
- Simply, step one involves estimating the expected number of substitutions per site accumulating between sampling times.
- To cope with the expected huge numbers of arrests 14 police garages are being converted into lock-up cages.
- But, such debates could attract only limited number of people and erudite scholars.
- Many departments already have instituted changes to methodology that have drawn growing numbers to literary studies.
- Both airports claim they need a new runway to cope with increasing passenger numbers.
- The battlefields of Normandy are drawing increasing numbers of British visitors as the anniversary of D-Day approaches.
- What do you do when people aren't flocking to dance music in the numbers they used to?
- All but one trial assigned an equal number of participants to the intervention and control groups.
- Instead, a limited number of substitutions occur at each site.
- As our numbers grow too high, we bring down the excess population ourselves.
- To date, the duo have sold two-and-a-half million albums and about the same number of singles.
Synonyms amount, quantity total, sum total, aggregate, tally quota - 2.1a number of Several.
we have discussed the matter on a number of occasions Example sentencesExamples - Over the past four weeks his car had been targeted on a number of occasions and has suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage.
- The company has ruled out on a number of occasions a full listing on the stock market.
- As well as being a gifted man, he is rib-achingly funny, and has made me cry from laughing so hard on a number of occasions.
- They have since completed the challenge on a number of occasions for different charities.
- She said she felt she had to resign from Croft House after reports led to officials visiting the home on a number of occasions.
- Stewart has come close to winning on a number of occasions and this is one major prize at home which has eluded him.
- They will be performing a number of songs and also designing the programme for the event.
- All credit to Liverpool who put up a great fight and could have scored through Owen on a number of occasions.
- I've met Henrik on a number of occasions and found him extremely pleasant.
- The film allows screen time for a number of different dance pieces to be played out in their entirety, much like a musical.
- This matter has been highlighted on a number of occasions but no one has been apprehended to date.
- He has also written a number of original concert pieces and is currently composing a new opera.
- On a number of occasions I have refused a sale simply because I didn't like someone's face or their hands.
- As a performer, she has danced with a number of different companies across the world.
- An Englishman living in the area was held by police on a number of occasions, but was always released without charge.
- A performing arts graduate, Janey Lee will perform a number of her own songs at the Billericay concert.
- I quit consuming music products a number of years ago and make do with what I had legally acquired by then.
- As well as his operatic numbers he includes among his repertoire a number of Irish songs.
- A council spokesman said they had tried on a number of occasions to carry out annual servicing of gas appliances.
- It has been reiterated on several occasions since through a number of declarations and statements.
Synonyms several, various, quite a few, sundry, diverse literary divers - 2.2 A group or company of people.
there were some distinguished names among our number Example sentencesExamples - The Scottish popular press doesn't have a lot of time for gays either, even though there are a few among their number.
- However, the club are hopeful to have the tricky winger back among their number in the next few days to continue his trial.
- With men from west Wales among their number, they were among the first of the British troops to arrive in the Gulf.
- When one was obtained it had to be smuggled past the camp guards, then passed to one of our number who was able to translate the news.
- One of their number, Tony, seemed to have adopted me and was willing to show me round.
- Among their number are troops able to bridge a 75 ft gap in as little as five minutes.
- He had offered one of our number the free loan of his Cotswolds mansion for the weekend.
- One of their number apologised and explained that their friend was drunk.
- Among their number were old friends or acquaintances who wanted to take a last look and perhaps to take home a memento.
- Among our number, there must be some who can bring home to the viewers the value and fascination of history as an art and science.
- It was amusing to see one of our number downing pints as I don't think I've ever seen her drunk before.
- It's a good question, and as it happens, one of their number has come out of the closet today.
- One of our number locked the cubicle from the inside and we passed boxes to him over the walls.
- So why are so many politicians so prickly when one of their number spills the beans on another?
- Had there been a woman among their number, things might have been different.
- The death of one of their number had frightened them, but for how long?
- They count a chef, a traffic warden, a prison custody officer and a bank clerk among their number.
- Christians in Basra are also grieving the loss of one of their number.
- The difference between our numbers in the House and Senate are not that vast.
- One of their number, party strategist Dominic Cummings, explained it to them recently.
Synonyms group, company, crowd, circle, party, body, band, crew, set informal gang, tribe - 2.3numbers A large quantity or amount, often in contrast to a smaller one; numerical preponderance.
the weight of numbers turned the battle against them Example sentencesExamples - The Germans may have had a fine submarine on paper but producing it in numbers was a different matter.
- Was she thinking that weight of numbers might help in a fight?
- Weight of numbers alone suggests the Russians hold all the aces this year.
- He was riding his camels along when he saw numbers of spherical white objects.
- Homelessness services are creaking under the weight of numbers, cuts in funding and privatisation in health services.
- It is very rare for the award to be won by teams outside Lismore, with the bigger clubs dominating simply though weight of numbers.
- Leinster hit back with the weight of numbers and forced Newcastle to concede a penalty try with just five minutes remaining.
- They overcame enormous odds right from the outset but eventually got crushed by weight of numbers.
- Many of the injured headed for local hospitals which quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of casualties.
- There were a number of hold ups along the route caused by sheer weight of numbers, but spirits remained high.
- Clearly, the other parties did not have the weight of numbers needed to force that to happen, so we are where we are today.
- The numbers of different sizes, shapes and colours available never ceases to amaze me.
- Exhaustion and weight of numbers also took their toll.
- Sheer weight of numbers continues to favour players from the States.
- Pure puzzles put Agatha Christie at the head of the field, and weight of numbers and lack of trendiness have kept her there.
- Under the sheer weight of numbers, grandparents, aunts and uncles have begun to disown their own.
- There are a terrifically large number of planets in the galaxy and many people say that the sheer weight of numbers means that life must exist.
- One obvious advantage was sheer weight of numbers: at both Valmy and Jemappes the enemy was heavily outnumbered.
- Protesters find that their objections fall upon deaf ears; their reasons belittled and their sheer weight of numbers ignored.
- But when has weight of numbers been a reason to pre-empt the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry or cut it short?
3British A single issue of a magazine. the October number of ‘Travel’ Synonyms edition, issue, copy printing, imprint, impression, publication - 3.1 A song, dance, piece of music, etc., especially one of several in a performance.
they go from one melodious number to another Example sentencesExamples - I certainly had lumps in my throat - but only when I wasn't marvelling at the many spectacular dance numbers.
- For her audition Natalie had to recite two drama pieces and perform three song and dance numbers.
- The cast were great and some of the upbeat numbers and high-energy dance routines were a joy to watch.
- In summary: the major disappointment of Revenge of the Lisp is that there are no big song and dance numbers.
- One afternoon was filled with poetry readings, theatrical performances and dance numbers.
- In one of the program's dance numbers, he performed Topeng Dalem with refined and deeply touching movements.
- While you eat, Burmese dancers perform some traditional numbers accompanied by music of their own.
- Intended for comic relief, the song and dance numbers come across as uninspired and robotic.
- This engineering graduate has carved a niche for himself in Malayalam music with his melodious numbers.
- Charlie Smyth and the Cast of Cinderella will also perform a few numbers from their sell-out pantomime.
- Skits, songs and dance numbers will be among the highlights of the show.
- The performers will also tackle solo songs and duets, group numbers, character dances, duologues and slapstick.
- Chadha's film joyously embraces the elaborate song and dance numbers that are the mainstay of Bollywood.
- Dance and music numbers were the major highlights of the programme.
- Basically what we have here is a nice, sentimental excuse for lots and lots of song and dance numbers.
- The directional effects here are utilized fully when the songs and dance numbers come into play.
- The sets and costumes are brilliant, as are the dance numbers and musical performances.
- Perhaps not as funny as they're intended to be, the song and dance numbers are highly entertaining just the same.
- Chow throws in big dance numbers, songs, humour and chase scenes that play like Wiley E Coyote trying to catch Roadrunner.
- In Glasgow, pantos are a series of song and dance numbers strung together with a bit of patter.
Synonyms song, piece of music, musical item, piece, tune, track turn, item, routine, sketch, dance, act - 3.2informal usually with adjective or noun modifier An item of clothing of a particular type, regarded with approval or admiration.
Yvonne was wearing a little black number Example sentencesExamples - He found the car, a sleek little black number, and slid behind the wheel.
- Last weekend, the Crown was packed with dinner jackets, black ties and pretty girls in scanty numbers.
- She pulled it off, to find a slinky black number, with thin spaghetti-straps and a jagged edge.
- Or maybe it's a racy nouvelle vague number, all headscarves and bicycles made for two.
- Her friend is one of those people who have no creativity so they just throw on some cat ears with some black slinky numbers.
- Carhartt's roomy over-the-head numbers in soft red or mid-blue have equally roomy front pocket.
- Made of silky nylon and soft mesh, these little numbers feel so comfortable you may not want to take them off.
- The dress was a sleek, black number with tiny, silvery sequins along the low neckline.
- Noteworthy numbers were the knitted fur cardigans and the silver foil fur-lined jackets.
- Their new away shirt, launched this week, is a natty white number featuring an orange sash.
4mass noun A grammatical classification of words that consists typically of singular and plural, and, in Greek and certain other languages, dual. the form of English pronouns reflects their number and gender Example sentencesExamples - Nouns are marked for gender, number, and case as well as for definite and indefinite forms.
- It has a dual number, so nouns and verbs must be learned in singular, dual, and plural.
- There was a time a few years ago when the United States was spoken of in the plural number.
- Countable nouns make a distinction between singular and plural number.
- Human nouns have a distinct class marking mechanism based on number and gender.
verb ˈnʌmbəˈnəmbər [with object]1Amount to (a specified figure or quantity); comprise. the demonstrators numbered more than 5,000 Example sentencesExamples - A crowd numbering in the thousands later marched on the nearest US base, hurling rocks and chanting anti-American slogans.
- At this point, I have boxes full of books, probably numbering somewhere close to 2000.
- Homes numbering in the tens of thousands have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
- But in 2000, Native Americans actually numbered closer to 2.5 million.
- By 1933 it numbered some two million, double the size of the army, which was hostile to them.
- The scientific staff will eventually number more than 200.
- At the last two events, the crowds numbered in the millions.
- Last year's total Jewish immigration into Israel, numbering some 23,000, was a 15-year low.
- The military forces number about fifteen thousand and are among the best trained in Africa.
- I smiled and greeted those people I knew, who numbered in the several dozens.
- In preparing the shows he draws on his own record and compact disk collection numbering in excess of 2,000.
- I used to have a contacts list that numbered no more than four people.
- Sources within the disengagement authority say that's because so far the number of families filing for compensation are numbered in the dozens.
- As the officers tried to subdue Gomez, a fourth man began to assault the cops, who by now numbered three women and one man.
- Current playable songs number only in the hundreds.
- By 1920 the Catholic population numbered about seventeen million and included some twenty-eight ethnic groups.
- The Beja represent the dominant ethnic group of eastern Sudan, numbering an estimated three million inhabiting a vast arid region that encompasses three countries: Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea.
- Metazoans inherited a genome of some still undetermined size, but certainly numbering many thousands of genes, from their protistan ancestor.
- And huge sea turtles numbering in the tens of millions flourished in the Caribbean.
- In preparing the shows he draws on his own record and compact disc collection numbering in excess of 2,000.
Synonyms add up to, amount to, total, come to 2Mark with a number or assign a number to, typically to indicate position in a series. each document was numbered consecutively Example sentencesExamples - Timbers and stones have been numbered and their location recorded so the bridge will be put back together accurately, he said.
- Amino acids are numbered consecutively for each species and indicated at the right margin.
- The research assistants used consecutively numbered packs to allocate new participants to treatment groups.
- Each segment was named, numbered, and indicated on the log sheet reference.
- They have printed cardboard disks that are numbered, and that is how service priority is assigned.
- Intron positions were numbered consecutively beginning at the N-terminus of the alignment.
- Each book and report form should be numbered for identification and kept for three years.
- The paragraphs have been numbered for convenience of reference hereafter.
- The forms will be sequentially numbered to record all proprietary plant and services purchases and any overspends or under spends to the budget.
- The permits shall be numbered consecutively at the time they are printed and shall be furnished by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources.
- Editions are from 50 to 100 copies - signed and numbered by the artist.
- Coffins are being numbered and marked with pictures of the dead inside.
- Allocations were concealed in sequentially numbered opaque envelopes opened once written parental consent was obtained.
- Completion of this order will fill the 500 series with the balance of the order to be numbered 5101-5122.
- Codes were kept in sequentially numbered opaque envelopes until just before use.
- All elements are hand signed and numbered by the artist, and retail for $1,250.
- Marked by colourful posts which are not numbered and which are situated at 1km intervals, walkers simply follow the Km signs, setting their own pace as they go.
- The other series, known as the piezometer series, is numbered simply 1 to 104.
- The engineers providing the foam floor forms individually numbered more than 200 panels to match the architect's drawings.
- We randomised patients individually using sealed, opaque, sequentially numbered envelopes.
Synonyms assign a number to, categorize by number, specify by number, mark with a number itemize, enumerate - 2.1 Count.
strategies like ours can be numbered on the fingers of one hand Example sentencesExamples - You know, I really liked when he talked about this being a time for introspection and sort of looking at what we do and why we do it and numbering our days and making sure that the time that we have here is used wisely.
- The number of subjects that I could discuss with my parents and claim genuine common experience could be numbered on the fingers of one hand.
- A study appearing today in the journal Science reports that the hunter-gatherers seem to be the only group of humans known to have no concept of numbering and counting.
- And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou has chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.
- The few which manage to maintain the consistency and flow necessary to repeated listening can be numbered on the fingers of one hand.
- I looked away, certain that every blade was numbered.
Synonyms count, add up, total, calculate, compute, enumerate, reckon, tell, tally assess British tot up
3Include or classify as a member of a group. the orchestra numbers Brahms among its past conductors Example sentencesExamples - The Wheelers were the best cycling club in the city, numbering among their members Ian Steel, who made an abortive appearance in the 1955 Tour, and Billy Bilsland, who had followed Steel and Ken Laidlaw to race in France.
- Both Jefferson and Madison numbered the act among their greatest accomplishments.
- The Accademia d' Italia, set up in 1929 in imitation of France, never had any real prestige or significance although it numbered among its members a few men of real merit.
- Weigand got really mad when he found out that Dell numbered Handgun Control as a member of its sales affiliate program, by which companies gain fees for referrals.
- Great Alardyce is indeed of the same generation as Carlyle, Harriet Martineau numbering as a member of both eminent men's circles.
Synonyms include, count reckon, deem, look on
Usage The construction the number of + plural noun is used with a singular verb (as in the number of people affected remains small). Thus it is the noun number rather than the noun people which is taken to agree with the verb (and which is therefore functioning as the head noun). By contrast, the apparently similar construction a number of + plural noun is used with a plural verb (as in a number of people remain to be contacted). In this case it is the noun people which acts as the head noun and with which the verb agrees. In the latter case, a number of works as if it were a single word, such as some or several. See also lot Phrases 1Any particular whole quantity of. the game can involve any number of players Example sentencesExamples - Spite and Malice can easily be adapted for any number of players.
- The lead player plays any number of matching cards, such as four Jacks.
- It can involve any number of players and anything can be traded.
- You can play a game any number of times, however, and the course will always be different.
- To do this, pick any number of the ten and then after counting to three both players will put their bids at the Play Area at the same time.
- The player to the dealer's left may now discard any number of unwanted cards and replace them by drawing cards from the top of the talon.
- Before play each player may exchange any number of cards from the hand with her face-up cards.
- Players can bid any number of tricks - the bids may or may not add up to the total tricks available.
- 1.1A large and unlimited quantity or amount of.
the results can be read any number of ways Example sentencesExamples - Instead, it can be used to support any number of contrary interpretations.
- It's insanely dense too, with each scene capable of being read in any number of ways.
- You are much more at risk for heart attack and hypertension and diabetes and any number of things.
- The Associated Press is also covering the story, which can be read in any number of places.
- Coetzee presents a tensely connected web of longing that pulses with meaning and can be read at any number of levels.
- This is just one of the many times I and friends have been on a frightening, white knuckle ride with any number of taxi firms in this country.
- It's Friday night and you have just arrived home after a tough day in any number of insanely boring classes.
- Of course, the killer irony is that smaller cars are better than big ones for any number of reasons.
- We've been past the hotel any number of times on our way through Ballater, and have always thought that we ought to try a stay there some time.
- That would do more to help ordinary Africans than any number of musical extravaganzas.
Following simple instructions identified or as if identified by numbers. Example sentencesExamples - It is one of those variations of painting by numbers where figures are human years and the colors are usually photographs.
- With subtlety off the menu and with little variation in tempo, all the better for head-banging, it was Maiden by numbers, but great for singing along to.
- It is like making artists paint by numbers or a songwriter use the same four chords in the same order for every song (like Coldplay or Stereophonics).
- There may have been a certain critical backlash to this by those who assumed it was Hollywood trying to do Bollywood by numbers, but The Guru didn't have aspirations nearly as high as that.
- You can see this big drama up in the first five seconds, then this, then that, then that, so it's writing by numbers, making films by numbers and I think a lot of books are posited on the same kit.
- ‘It's politics by numbers,’ says one strategist, for Conservatives to try to drive up the salience of an issue where they're out front.
- It is 15 years since his critically-acclaimed debut, Let Love Rule, and Kravitz has headed straight for the comfort zone with another of his CDs by numbers.
- REM - when did they start just doing REM by numbers?
- Does it at times feel like Woody Allen by numbers?
- Join the dots, colour by numbers - it's not like that, is it?
In accordance with a rigidly followed set of rules. they definitely weren't playing by the numbers as modifier there were a few by the numbers plot twists Example sentencesExamples - It was a skilful piece of work, a series of invariably thin stories skating along on the bankable watchability of a talented ensemble cast doing it by the numbers.
- Other performances are fine but this is really a film by the numbers.
- This new film avoids playing by the numbers and follows its own dead-on instincts.
- It may be a bit by the numbers, in that you know there will be both a guitar and a drum solo, but that's all right.
- There is a growing generation gap between old-school general managers and scouts who trusts their instincts and new-breed executives who live to play it by the numbers.
someone's (or something's) days are numbered Someone or something will not survive or remain in a position of power or advantage for much longer. my days as director were numbered Example sentencesExamples - They are being hunted down, their days are numbered.
- But racing, in particular, has often suffered from people who deliberately conspire to fix results, and those cheats now know that their days are numbered.
- The only ones left in the nearly deserted complex are the disabled and those over 65, and their days are numbered.
- Any manager will tell you that if you lose the dressing room you can still survive, but lose the supporters and your days are numbered.
- Many of these types are still running companies, but the tide is turning and their days are numbered.
- Now, once a trial balloon is floated like that, your days are numbered.
- Somehow I can't see that happening, but I do think Chisholm 's days are numbered.
- No doubt the terrorists and insurgents will hit back, and try to punish people; but their days are numbered now.
- Once the focal point of every community, rural post office owners are now finding that their days are numbered.
- To the terrorists I say this, your days are numbered.
Synonyms limit, limit in number, restrict, fix
informal Treat someone badly, typically by deceiving, humiliating, or criticizing them in a calculated way. Example sentencesExamples - Though he's been doing a number on me with all of this chopping and changing, I think I've been screwing with his head, too, by keeping my emotional distance.
- I think all those hallucinogens you took back in the 70's really did a number on you.
- Any setbacks in that area right now would really do a number on my head.
- Her unemployment benefits ran out, her stopgap restaurant job couldn't pay her rent and did a number on her self-esteem, and she returned to her crack-cocaine habit, which she'd had under control for ten years.
- Before it fades away entirely, though, Hitchens does a number on the Kennedy presidency.
- Maybe all those years in the Navy did a number on his psyche.
- Being torn from the only family you thought you knew really does a number on you, doesn't it?
- Gwyneth Paltrow says motherhood is doing a number on her memory.
- This pregnancy is really doing a number on her hormones, that's the only explanation
- It will knock your socks off - and do a number on your libido!
informal Understand a person's real motives or character and thereby gain some advantage. Example sentencesExamples - From two sets up Tim tried to head for the finish, but Canas reeled him in with thundering forehands and a deep-seated belief that he had the Briton 's number.
- The cunning sniper up on the hill in the first mission certainly had my number.
- You certainly had my number when you guessed that the only math I can do is the one that comes after…
- He has our number: people so mesmerised by the material that they only care about the spiritual if they can add ice and lemon to it after they've whisked it through duty free.
- As George W. Bush and John Kerry race through their final prep sessions before Friday night's St. Louis slugfest, each of them undoubtedly believes that, in effect, he has your number.
- They can't easily strike in the Middle East precisely because Syria, Egypt, Algeria, etc. have their number and have undertaken massive actions against them.
- If the cops have your number, you will be screwed no matter how law-abiding you are.
- Yep, there are plenty do-gooders are out there and they have your number, baby, trust me.
- Whatever your dessert personality, Café Crepe has your number.
- He had our number, all of us, the whole flawed species.
Synonyms as a bonus, as an extra, into the bargain, to boot, in addition, besides, as well
have someone's number on it informal (of a bomb, bullet, or other missile) destined to find a specified person as its target. Example sentencesExamples - As a batsman or an umpire a ball always has your number on it and if I made a mistake, so be it.
- You just didn't know whether the next bullet or shell had your number on it.
informal The time has come when someone is doomed to die or suffer some other disaster or setback. though he had survived a thousand crises, he knew that this time his number was up Example sentencesExamples - Although it must be tempting to tell someone that you love that you love them when you know your number is up, if you also know the true perpetrator of a crime that someone else is suspected of, surely you are duty bound to blurt that out first.
- I was happy enough to play on just as a senior pro but then I was told I would struggle to keep my first-team place, and when you hear that, you know your number is up.
- Some of those members opposite who are sitting in marginal rural seats or marginal provincial seats should really start to worry, because their number is up.
- Peter Fraser had principles; this Prime Minister has only her polls - and her number is up.
- He has even arranged for his body to be returned to Tibet for a traditional sky burial when his number is up.
- It doesn't seem to displace much air hence they have little warning, and once they come in contact with the ‘strings’, their number is up!
- They are sending a very clear signal to this Government that its number is up, and that Government members should start brushing off their CVs and looking for a new job.
- Of life and possible dangers in Basrah he said: ‘As many of the lads say, when your number is up it's up.’
- I am a pragmatic person and if your number is up it's up.
- The characters in this film have to figure out when their number is up and avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is what we do as human beings every day.
I began to write to you times without number Example sentencesExamples - The web sites devoted to Hitchcock and his films are almost without number.
- A theology of blessing begins with God, the fountain of all blessings, whose benevolence toward his creation produces mercies without number.
- For the next year or so, he trotted out that phrase times without number.
- Echenoz seems to have met his publisher face to face times without number over the years, without any suggestion that a hired intermediary would be a good idea.
- Now 72 years old, he has won awards without number, including, in 1984, the Nobel Peace Prize.
- But Leander, a born fighter who had proved times without number that he would never take defeat lying down, recovered in a fashion that can well be described as a miracle.
- In today's Highlands, the march of the modern means that the hills support unsaleable sheep and the shores inedible shellfish; salmon are caged and deer without number pollute the bens.
- These examples could be multiplied almost without number.
- This is in sharp contrast to the stand of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad which has made no such commitment and reiterated times without number that it shall accept only a favourable judicial verdict!
- May your joys be without number and your troubles few.
Synonyms innumerable, countless, unlimited, endless, limitless, untold, an infinite number of, an incalculable number of, more than one can count, too many to be counted, without number, uncountable, uncounted
Origin Middle English: from Old French nombre (noun), nombrer (verb), from Latin numerus. The source of number, and of enumerate (early 17th century) and numerous (Middle English), is the Latin word numerus. The first written use of your number is up was by the English essayist Charles Lamb in a letter written in 1806, in which the reference is to someone drawing a winning ticket in the ‘lottery of despair’. Other suggestions have been made as to the phrase's origins. One links it to various passages in the Bible that refer to the ‘number of your days’, meaning the length of your life. Another proposes that the number in question is a soldier's army number, associated with identifying casualties on the battlefield and the fatalistic expectation of a bullet with ‘your name and number’ on it.
Rhymes Columba, cumber, encumber, Humber, lumbar, lumber, outnumber, rumba, slumber, umber Definition of number in US English: numbernounˈnəmbərˈnəmbər 1An arithmetical value, expressed by a word, symbol, or figure, representing a particular quantity and used in counting and making calculations and for showing order in a series or for identification. she dialed the number carefully Example sentencesExamples - We need to think more carefully about numbers and the mathematics we use to work with them.
- Vedic scholars did not use figures for big numbers in their numerical notation.
- She said they enjoy coming up with different combinations of numbers.
- The whole number part starts off your list of numbers for the continued fraction.
- The real number system consists of all numbers that can be represented by infinite decimals.
- We also counted the number of words, abbreviations, symbols, numbers, and values in each record.
- Note that the allelic state for a pair of lineages is represented by two numbers in brackets.
- For our geometrical problem, g is a positive number so the first value is the one we want.
- Finding the ideal ratio of words to numbers may prove a fruitful area for further research.
- These are combined and shown both in actual numbers and as ratios in the bar graph.
- For most purposes this number system could represent all the numbers which might arise in normal day to day life.
- A child with a math disability has problems with numbers and math symbols.
- Is it the numerator of a Bernoullian number, or one occurring in some continued fraction?
- He considered computation with irrational numbers and polynomials to be part of algebra.
- It made possible the standardization of texts as well as symbols, numbers, and figures.
- Hyphenated words, symbols, numbers, and abbreviations were counted as one word.
- He is perhaps best known for playing a role in the development of the ASCII code for representing English characters as numbers.
- Book 3 contains a description of how to carry out arithmetic with irrational numbers.
- It is a personal state of being that cannot be reduced to numbers and decimal points.
- According to Bellavitis, the plane does not just provide a means to represent complex numbers.
Synonyms numeral, integer, figure, digit - 1.1numbersdated Arithmetic.
the boy was adept at numbers
2A quantity or amount. the company is seeking to increase the number of women on its staff the exhibition attracted vast numbers of visitors Example sentencesExamples - What do you do when people aren't flocking to dance music in the numbers they used to?
- The EP has rejected the Council's common position on only a limited number of occasions.
- The airport will need to be able to facilitate quick flight turnarounds as well as deal with growing passenger numbers.
- But, such debates could attract only limited number of people and erudite scholars.
- To cope with the expected huge numbers of arrests 14 police garages are being converted into lock-up cages.
- However, the numbers have dwindled to less than a quarter what they once were.
- The battlefields of Normandy are drawing increasing numbers of British visitors as the anniversary of D-Day approaches.
- Many departments already have instituted changes to methodology that have drawn growing numbers to literary studies.
- Five of the 10 harvested fruits were cut transversely to calculate the average locule number per fruit and average fruit.
- Ham House's ghost tours are attracting an increasing number of visitors.
- All but one trial assigned an equal number of participants to the intervention and control groups.
- As our numbers grow too high, we bring down the excess population ourselves.
- The museum has exceeded expected visitor numbers and hit its 300,000 annual target within its first six months.
- He said: " I'm alarmed by the growing number of occasions when guns are used.
- Instead, a limited number of substitutions occur at each site.
- The numbers grow more staggering everyday, making the recovery from Hurricane Charley seem even more daunting.
- Metrolink had opened in 1992 and doubled its passenger numbers over the next nine years.
- To date, the duo have sold two-and-a-half million albums and about the same number of singles.
- Both airports claim they need a new runway to cope with increasing passenger numbers.
- Simply, step one involves estimating the expected number of substitutions per site accumulating between sampling times.
- 2.1a number of Several.
we have discussed the matter on a number of occasions Example sentencesExamples - It has been reiterated on several occasions since through a number of declarations and statements.
- They will be performing a number of songs and also designing the programme for the event.
- I quit consuming music products a number of years ago and make do with what I had legally acquired by then.
- This matter has been highlighted on a number of occasions but no one has been apprehended to date.
- As a performer, she has danced with a number of different companies across the world.
- As well as being a gifted man, he is rib-achingly funny, and has made me cry from laughing so hard on a number of occasions.
- They have since completed the challenge on a number of occasions for different charities.
- I've met Henrik on a number of occasions and found him extremely pleasant.
- Stewart has come close to winning on a number of occasions and this is one major prize at home which has eluded him.
- The company has ruled out on a number of occasions a full listing on the stock market.
- On a number of occasions I have refused a sale simply because I didn't like someone's face or their hands.
- As well as his operatic numbers he includes among his repertoire a number of Irish songs.
- Over the past four weeks his car had been targeted on a number of occasions and has suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage.
- A performing arts graduate, Janey Lee will perform a number of her own songs at the Billericay concert.
- All credit to Liverpool who put up a great fight and could have scored through Owen on a number of occasions.
- An Englishman living in the area was held by police on a number of occasions, but was always released without charge.
- A council spokesman said they had tried on a number of occasions to carry out annual servicing of gas appliances.
- She said she felt she had to resign from Croft House after reports led to officials visiting the home on a number of occasions.
- The film allows screen time for a number of different dance pieces to be played out in their entirety, much like a musical.
- He has also written a number of original concert pieces and is currently composing a new opera.
Synonyms several, various, quite a few, sundry, diverse - 2.2 A group or company of people.
there were some distinguished names among our number Example sentencesExamples - The Scottish popular press doesn't have a lot of time for gays either, even though there are a few among their number.
- However, the club are hopeful to have the tricky winger back among their number in the next few days to continue his trial.
- It was amusing to see one of our number downing pints as I don't think I've ever seen her drunk before.
- Had there been a woman among their number, things might have been different.
- So why are so many politicians so prickly when one of their number spills the beans on another?
- One of our number locked the cubicle from the inside and we passed boxes to him over the walls.
- One of their number apologised and explained that their friend was drunk.
- The death of one of their number had frightened them, but for how long?
- Among our number, there must be some who can bring home to the viewers the value and fascination of history as an art and science.
- He had offered one of our number the free loan of his Cotswolds mansion for the weekend.
- Christians in Basra are also grieving the loss of one of their number.
- One of their number, Tony, seemed to have adopted me and was willing to show me round.
- Among their number were old friends or acquaintances who wanted to take a last look and perhaps to take home a memento.
- With men from west Wales among their number, they were among the first of the British troops to arrive in the Gulf.
- It's a good question, and as it happens, one of their number has come out of the closet today.
- When one was obtained it had to be smuggled past the camp guards, then passed to one of our number who was able to translate the news.
- Among their number are troops able to bridge a 75 ft gap in as little as five minutes.
- One of their number, party strategist Dominic Cummings, explained it to them recently.
- The difference between our numbers in the House and Senate are not that vast.
- They count a chef, a traffic warden, a prison custody officer and a bank clerk among their number.
Synonyms group, company, crowd, circle, party, body, band, crew, set - 2.3numbers A large quantity or amount, often in contrast to a smaller one; numerical preponderance.
the weight of numbers turned the battle against them Example sentencesExamples - Weight of numbers alone suggests the Russians hold all the aces this year.
- There are a terrifically large number of planets in the galaxy and many people say that the sheer weight of numbers means that life must exist.
- Many of the injured headed for local hospitals which quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of casualties.
- They overcame enormous odds right from the outset but eventually got crushed by weight of numbers.
- Exhaustion and weight of numbers also took their toll.
- Sheer weight of numbers continues to favour players from the States.
- There were a number of hold ups along the route caused by sheer weight of numbers, but spirits remained high.
- It is very rare for the award to be won by teams outside Lismore, with the bigger clubs dominating simply though weight of numbers.
- The numbers of different sizes, shapes and colours available never ceases to amaze me.
- The Germans may have had a fine submarine on paper but producing it in numbers was a different matter.
- One obvious advantage was sheer weight of numbers: at both Valmy and Jemappes the enemy was heavily outnumbered.
- Pure puzzles put Agatha Christie at the head of the field, and weight of numbers and lack of trendiness have kept her there.
- Under the sheer weight of numbers, grandparents, aunts and uncles have begun to disown their own.
- He was riding his camels along when he saw numbers of spherical white objects.
- But when has weight of numbers been a reason to pre-empt the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry or cut it short?
- Homelessness services are creaking under the weight of numbers, cuts in funding and privatisation in health services.
- Protesters find that their objections fall upon deaf ears; their reasons belittled and their sheer weight of numbers ignored.
- Clearly, the other parties did not have the weight of numbers needed to force that to happen, so we are where we are today.
- Was she thinking that weight of numbers might help in a fight?
- Leinster hit back with the weight of numbers and forced Newcastle to concede a penalty try with just five minutes remaining.
3British A single issue of a magazine. the October number of “Travel.” - 3.1 A song, dance, piece of music, etc., especially one of several in a performance.
they go from one melodious number to another Example sentencesExamples - For her audition Natalie had to recite two drama pieces and perform three song and dance numbers.
- Skits, songs and dance numbers will be among the highlights of the show.
- Chadha's film joyously embraces the elaborate song and dance numbers that are the mainstay of Bollywood.
- Charlie Smyth and the Cast of Cinderella will also perform a few numbers from their sell-out pantomime.
- The sets and costumes are brilliant, as are the dance numbers and musical performances.
- Dance and music numbers were the major highlights of the programme.
- Basically what we have here is a nice, sentimental excuse for lots and lots of song and dance numbers.
- In Glasgow, pantos are a series of song and dance numbers strung together with a bit of patter.
- Perhaps not as funny as they're intended to be, the song and dance numbers are highly entertaining just the same.
- The directional effects here are utilized fully when the songs and dance numbers come into play.
- Intended for comic relief, the song and dance numbers come across as uninspired and robotic.
- This engineering graduate has carved a niche for himself in Malayalam music with his melodious numbers.
- The cast were great and some of the upbeat numbers and high-energy dance routines were a joy to watch.
- While you eat, Burmese dancers perform some traditional numbers accompanied by music of their own.
- I certainly had lumps in my throat - but only when I wasn't marvelling at the many spectacular dance numbers.
- The performers will also tackle solo songs and duets, group numbers, character dances, duologues and slapstick.
- In one of the program's dance numbers, he performed Topeng Dalem with refined and deeply touching movements.
- Chow throws in big dance numbers, songs, humour and chase scenes that play like Wiley E Coyote trying to catch Roadrunner.
- In summary: the major disappointment of Revenge of the Lisp is that there are no big song and dance numbers.
- One afternoon was filled with poetry readings, theatrical performances and dance numbers.
Synonyms song, piece of music, musical item, piece, tune, track - 3.2informal usually with adjective or noun modifier A thing, typically an item of clothing, of a particular type, regarded with approval or admiration.
Yvonne was wearing a little black number Example sentencesExamples - She pulled it off, to find a slinky black number, with thin spaghetti-straps and a jagged edge.
- He found the car, a sleek little black number, and slid behind the wheel.
- Noteworthy numbers were the knitted fur cardigans and the silver foil fur-lined jackets.
- Carhartt's roomy over-the-head numbers in soft red or mid-blue have equally roomy front pocket.
- The dress was a sleek, black number with tiny, silvery sequins along the low neckline.
- Or maybe it's a racy nouvelle vague number, all headscarves and bicycles made for two.
- Made of silky nylon and soft mesh, these little numbers feel so comfortable you may not want to take them off.
- Last weekend, the Crown was packed with dinner jackets, black ties and pretty girls in scanty numbers.
- Her friend is one of those people who have no creativity so they just throw on some cat ears with some black slinky numbers.
- Their new away shirt, launched this week, is a natty white number featuring an orange sash.
4A distinction of word form denoting reference to one person or thing or to more than one. See also singular (sense 1 of the adjective), plural, count noun, and mass noun Example sentencesExamples - Countable nouns make a distinction between singular and plural number.
- Nouns are marked for gender, number, and case as well as for definite and indefinite forms.
- There was a time a few years ago when the United States was spoken of in the plural number.
- It has a dual number, so nouns and verbs must be learned in singular, dual, and plural.
- Human nouns have a distinct class marking mechanism based on number and gender.
verbˈnəmbərˈnəmbər [with object]1Amount to (a specified figure or quantity); comprise. the demonstrators numbered more than 5,000 Example sentencesExamples - And huge sea turtles numbering in the tens of millions flourished in the Caribbean.
- Metazoans inherited a genome of some still undetermined size, but certainly numbering many thousands of genes, from their protistan ancestor.
- At this point, I have boxes full of books, probably numbering somewhere close to 2000.
- The military forces number about fifteen thousand and are among the best trained in Africa.
- As the officers tried to subdue Gomez, a fourth man began to assault the cops, who by now numbered three women and one man.
- I smiled and greeted those people I knew, who numbered in the several dozens.
- By 1933 it numbered some two million, double the size of the army, which was hostile to them.
- A crowd numbering in the thousands later marched on the nearest US base, hurling rocks and chanting anti-American slogans.
- The Beja represent the dominant ethnic group of eastern Sudan, numbering an estimated three million inhabiting a vast arid region that encompasses three countries: Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea.
- Current playable songs number only in the hundreds.
- I used to have a contacts list that numbered no more than four people.
- Last year's total Jewish immigration into Israel, numbering some 23,000, was a 15-year low.
- Sources within the disengagement authority say that's because so far the number of families filing for compensation are numbered in the dozens.
- At the last two events, the crowds numbered in the millions.
- The scientific staff will eventually number more than 200.
- By 1920 the Catholic population numbered about seventeen million and included some twenty-eight ethnic groups.
- Homes numbering in the tens of thousands have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
- In preparing the shows he draws on his own record and compact disc collection numbering in excess of 2,000.
- In preparing the shows he draws on his own record and compact disk collection numbering in excess of 2,000.
- But in 2000, Native Americans actually numbered closer to 2.5 million.
Synonyms add up to, amount to, total, come to 2Mark with a number or assign a number to, typically to indicate position in a series. each document was numbered consecutively Example sentencesExamples - Each segment was named, numbered, and indicated on the log sheet reference.
- The engineers providing the foam floor forms individually numbered more than 200 panels to match the architect's drawings.
- The permits shall be numbered consecutively at the time they are printed and shall be furnished by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources.
- The other series, known as the piezometer series, is numbered simply 1 to 104.
- All elements are hand signed and numbered by the artist, and retail for $1,250.
- Allocations were concealed in sequentially numbered opaque envelopes opened once written parental consent was obtained.
- They have printed cardboard disks that are numbered, and that is how service priority is assigned.
- Timbers and stones have been numbered and their location recorded so the bridge will be put back together accurately, he said.
- Editions are from 50 to 100 copies - signed and numbered by the artist.
- The forms will be sequentially numbered to record all proprietary plant and services purchases and any overspends or under spends to the budget.
- Completion of this order will fill the 500 series with the balance of the order to be numbered 5101-5122.
- Intron positions were numbered consecutively beginning at the N-terminus of the alignment.
- The paragraphs have been numbered for convenience of reference hereafter.
- The research assistants used consecutively numbered packs to allocate new participants to treatment groups.
- Marked by colourful posts which are not numbered and which are situated at 1km intervals, walkers simply follow the Km signs, setting their own pace as they go.
- Amino acids are numbered consecutively for each species and indicated at the right margin.
- Each book and report form should be numbered for identification and kept for three years.
- Coffins are being numbered and marked with pictures of the dead inside.
- Codes were kept in sequentially numbered opaque envelopes until just before use.
- We randomised patients individually using sealed, opaque, sequentially numbered envelopes.
Synonyms assign a number to, categorize by number, specify by number, mark with a number - 2.1 Count.
strategies like ours can be numbered on the fingers of one hand Example sentencesExamples - You know, I really liked when he talked about this being a time for introspection and sort of looking at what we do and why we do it and numbering our days and making sure that the time that we have here is used wisely.
- And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou has chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.
- The number of subjects that I could discuss with my parents and claim genuine common experience could be numbered on the fingers of one hand.
- I looked away, certain that every blade was numbered.
- The few which manage to maintain the consistency and flow necessary to repeated listening can be numbered on the fingers of one hand.
- A study appearing today in the journal Science reports that the hunter-gatherers seem to be the only group of humans known to have no concept of numbering and counting.
Synonyms count, add up, total, calculate, compute, enumerate, reckon, tell, tally
3Include or classify as a member of a group. the orchestra numbers Brahms among its past conductors Example sentencesExamples - Great Alardyce is indeed of the same generation as Carlyle, Harriet Martineau numbering as a member of both eminent men's circles.
- Both Jefferson and Madison numbered the act among their greatest accomplishments.
- The Accademia d' Italia, set up in 1929 in imitation of France, never had any real prestige or significance although it numbered among its members a few men of real merit.
- The Wheelers were the best cycling club in the city, numbering among their members Ian Steel, who made an abortive appearance in the 1955 Tour, and Billy Bilsland, who had followed Steel and Ken Laidlaw to race in France.
- Weigand got really mad when he found out that Dell numbered Handgun Control as a member of its sales affiliate program, by which companies gain fees for referrals.
Usage The construction the number of + plural noun is used with a singular verb (as in the number of people affected remains small). Thus it is the noun number rather than the noun people that is taken to agree with the verb (and is therefore functioning as the head noun). By contrast, the apparently similar construction a number of + plural noun is used with a plural verb (as in a number of people remain to be contacted). In this case, it is the noun people that acts as the head noun and with which the verb agrees. In the latter case, a number of works as if it were a single word, such as some or several. See also collective noun and lot Phrases 1Any particular whole quantity of. the game can involve any number of players Example sentencesExamples - It can involve any number of players and anything can be traded.
- Before play each player may exchange any number of cards from the hand with her face-up cards.
- To do this, pick any number of the ten and then after counting to three both players will put their bids at the Play Area at the same time.
- You can play a game any number of times, however, and the course will always be different.
- Players can bid any number of tricks - the bids may or may not add up to the total tricks available.
- Spite and Malice can easily be adapted for any number of players.
- The lead player plays any number of matching cards, such as four Jacks.
- The player to the dealer's left may now discard any number of unwanted cards and replace them by drawing cards from the top of the talon.
- 1.1A large and unlimited quantity or amount of.
the results can be read any number of ways Example sentencesExamples - Coetzee presents a tensely connected web of longing that pulses with meaning and can be read at any number of levels.
- It's insanely dense too, with each scene capable of being read in any number of ways.
- This is just one of the many times I and friends have been on a frightening, white knuckle ride with any number of taxi firms in this country.
- You are much more at risk for heart attack and hypertension and diabetes and any number of things.
- Of course, the killer irony is that smaller cars are better than big ones for any number of reasons.
- The Associated Press is also covering the story, which can be read in any number of places.
- That would do more to help ordinary Africans than any number of musical extravaganzas.
- We've been past the hotel any number of times on our way through Ballater, and have always thought that we ought to try a stay there some time.
- Instead, it can be used to support any number of contrary interpretations.
- It's Friday night and you have just arrived home after a tough day in any number of insanely boring classes.
Following simple instructions identified or as if identified by numbers. Example sentencesExamples - It is 15 years since his critically-acclaimed debut, Let Love Rule, and Kravitz has headed straight for the comfort zone with another of his CDs by numbers.
- There may have been a certain critical backlash to this by those who assumed it was Hollywood trying to do Bollywood by numbers, but The Guru didn't have aspirations nearly as high as that.
- You can see this big drama up in the first five seconds, then this, then that, then that, so it's writing by numbers, making films by numbers and I think a lot of books are posited on the same kit.
- Does it at times feel like Woody Allen by numbers?
- Join the dots, colour by numbers - it's not like that, is it?
- REM - when did they start just doing REM by numbers?
- ‘It's politics by numbers,’ says one strategist, for Conservatives to try to drive up the salience of an issue where they're out front.
- It is like making artists paint by numbers or a songwriter use the same four chords in the same order for every song (like Coldplay or Stereophonics).
- It is one of those variations of painting by numbers where figures are human years and the colors are usually photographs.
- With subtlety off the menu and with little variation in tempo, all the better for head-banging, it was Maiden by numbers, but great for singing along to.
1Following standard operating procedure. Example sentencesExamples - Most of the interviews you do to promote something are by the numbers.
- It's rather sad that Steve McQueen's career had to end with this turkey of a film - an effort that's poorly written, directed with no flair whatsoever, and acted by the numbers.
- Will Smith's Hitch is a racist, homophobic, by the numbers, boring romantic comedy filled with blatant product placements.
- And a key fact here is nobody has said that the Army hasn't played this thing exactly by the rules, exactly by the numbers.
- Thankfully, this new film avoids playing by the numbers and follows its own dead-on instincts.
- So given the high stakes involved in maintaining his relative ‘sainthood’ set against a background of alleged infidelity, ordinarily you could expect Beckham to be playing by the numbers.
- ‘The way companies are managed is more by the numbers now,’ says Chuck Lucier, senior vice president emeritus at Booz Allen Hamilton.
- If we're going by the numbers, why not have a party platform asserting that the United States is ‘a white nation’?
- It's what I'm beginning to call news by the numbers.
- Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Love Actually: it was a skilful piece of work, a series of invariably thin stories skating along on the bankable watchability of a talented ensemble cast doing it by the numbers.
- 1.1All together with a shouted-out count.
Example sentencesExamples - You count off seven to ten seconds by the numbers, give a wing wag, and break left and down in a 90-degree bank.
informal Treat someone badly, typically by deceiving, humiliating, or criticizing them in a calculated and thorough way. Example sentencesExamples - It will knock your socks off - and do a number on your libido!
- Any setbacks in that area right now would really do a number on my head.
- I think all those hallucinogens you took back in the 70's really did a number on you.
- Before it fades away entirely, though, Hitchens does a number on the Kennedy presidency.
- Though he's been doing a number on me with all of this chopping and changing, I think I've been screwing with his head, too, by keeping my emotional distance.
- This pregnancy is really doing a number on her hormones, that's the only explanation
- Maybe all those years in the Navy did a number on his psyche.
- Her unemployment benefits ran out, her stopgap restaurant job couldn't pay her rent and did a number on her self-esteem, and she returned to her crack-cocaine habit, which she'd had under control for ten years.
- Being torn from the only family you thought you knew really does a number on you, doesn't it?
- Gwyneth Paltrow says motherhood is doing a number on her memory.
informal Understand a person's real motives or character and thereby gain some advantage. Example sentencesExamples - He had our number, all of us, the whole flawed species.
- Whatever your dessert personality, Café Crepe has your number.
- From two sets up Tim tried to head for the finish, but Canas reeled him in with thundering forehands and a deep-seated belief that he had the Briton 's number.
- Yep, there are plenty do-gooders are out there and they have your number, baby, trust me.
- They can't easily strike in the Middle East precisely because Syria, Egypt, Algeria, etc. have their number and have undertaken massive actions against them.
- The cunning sniper up on the hill in the first mission certainly had my number.
- As George W. Bush and John Kerry race through their final prep sessions before Friday night's St. Louis slugfest, each of them undoubtedly believes that, in effect, he has your number.
- He has our number: people so mesmerised by the material that they only care about the spiritual if they can add ice and lemon to it after they've whisked it through duty free.
- If the cops have your number, you will be screwed no matter how law-abiding you are.
- You certainly had my number when you guessed that the only math I can do is the one that comes after…
Synonyms as a bonus, as an extra, into the bargain, to boot, in addition, besides, as well
have someone's number on it informal (of a bomb, bullet, or other missile) destined to find a specified person as its target. Example sentencesExamples - As a batsman or an umpire a ball always has your number on it and if I made a mistake, so be it.
- You just didn't know whether the next bullet or shell had your number on it.
informal The time has come when someone is doomed to die or suffer some other disaster or setback. Example sentencesExamples - I am a pragmatic person and if your number is up it's up.
- Of life and possible dangers in Basrah he said: ‘As many of the lads say, when your number is up it's up.’
- I was happy enough to play on just as a senior pro but then I was told I would struggle to keep my first-team place, and when you hear that, you know your number is up.
- The characters in this film have to figure out when their number is up and avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is what we do as human beings every day.
- Peter Fraser had principles; this Prime Minister has only her polls - and her number is up.
- Some of those members opposite who are sitting in marginal rural seats or marginal provincial seats should really start to worry, because their number is up.
- Although it must be tempting to tell someone that you love that you love them when you know your number is up, if you also know the true perpetrator of a crime that someone else is suspected of, surely you are duty bound to blurt that out first.
- It doesn't seem to displace much air hence they have little warning, and once they come in contact with the ‘strings’, their number is up!
- He has even arranged for his body to be returned to Tibet for a traditional sky burial when his number is up.
- They are sending a very clear signal to this Government that its number is up, and that Government members should start brushing off their CVs and looking for a new job.
they forgot the message times without number Example sentencesExamples - A theology of blessing begins with God, the fountain of all blessings, whose benevolence toward his creation produces mercies without number.
- But Leander, a born fighter who had proved times without number that he would never take defeat lying down, recovered in a fashion that can well be described as a miracle.
- In today's Highlands, the march of the modern means that the hills support unsaleable sheep and the shores inedible shellfish; salmon are caged and deer without number pollute the bens.
- Now 72 years old, he has won awards without number, including, in 1984, the Nobel Peace Prize.
- For the next year or so, he trotted out that phrase times without number.
- This is in sharp contrast to the stand of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad which has made no such commitment and reiterated times without number that it shall accept only a favourable judicial verdict!
- Echenoz seems to have met his publisher face to face times without number over the years, without any suggestion that a hired intermediary would be a good idea.
- These examples could be multiplied almost without number.
- The web sites devoted to Hitchcock and his films are almost without number.
- May your joys be without number and your troubles few.
Synonyms innumerable, countless, unlimited, endless, limitless, untold, an infinite number of, an incalculable number of, more than one can count, too many to be counted, without number, uncountable, uncounted
someone's/something's days are numbered Someone or something will not survive or remain in a position of power or advantage for much longer. my days as director were numbered Example sentencesExamples - Now, once a trial balloon is floated like that, your days are numbered.
- No doubt the terrorists and insurgents will hit back, and try to punish people; but their days are numbered now.
- To the terrorists I say this, your days are numbered.
- They are being hunted down, their days are numbered.
- Many of these types are still running companies, but the tide is turning and their days are numbered.
- Any manager will tell you that if you lose the dressing room you can still survive, but lose the supporters and your days are numbered.
- But racing, in particular, has often suffered from people who deliberately conspire to fix results, and those cheats now know that their days are numbered.
- Somehow I can't see that happening, but I do think Chisholm 's days are numbered.
- Once the focal point of every community, rural post office owners are now finding that their days are numbered.
- The only ones left in the nearly deserted complex are the disabled and those over 65, and their days are numbered.
Synonyms limit, limit in number, restrict, fix
Origin Middle English: from Old French nombre (noun), nombrer (verb), from Latin numerus. |