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number
/ˈnʌmbər/
a mathematical value or quantity
The number of students in the class is thirty.
This indicates a count of thirty students.
general
a mathematical value representing a quantity or position in a sequence
She dialed the number 555-1234.
This refers to a phone number.
The number of attendees exceeded expectations.
This means the count of people was higher than anticipated.
Can refer to digits, counts, or positions in a sequence.
media
a single issue or edition of a magazine or newspaper
I subscribed to the latest number of the journal.
This refers to the most recent issue of the publication.
Common in British English for referring to magazine issues.
informal
a person's phone number or address
Can you give me your number?
This is a request for someone's phone number.
Often used colloquially to mean phone number.
Collocations
large numbera big quantitysmall numbera minor quantityeven numbera number divisible by twoodd numbera number not divisible by two
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Phone Number Usage
In informal contexts, 'number' often refers to a phone number, e.g., 'What's your number?' means 'What's your phone number?'
Gold Rule
Mathematical vs. Count Usage
In math, 'number' can be abstract (e.g., 'prime number'), while in everyday language, it usually refers to counts (e.g., 'a number of people').
Word Origin
From Old French 'nombre', from Latin 'numerus', meaning 'a number, count'
Usage Notes
In mathematics, 'number' can refer to integers, fractions, or other numerical values. In everyday language, it often refers to counts or phone numbers.
Word Breakdown
num
short for 'number'
prefix-ber
from Latin 'numerus'
rootEnglish Dictionary