count
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Name or recite the numbers in ascending order.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kowntIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkaʊnt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Name or recite the numbers in ascending order
“The toddler could count to 100.”
intransitive
To recite numbers in sequence.
Determine the number or amount of
“Can you count the books on your shelf?”
transitive
To determine the number of (objects in a group).
intransitive
To amount to, to number in total.
intransitivefigurative
To be of significance; to matter; to be considered (as something); to be included (of something).
noun
The act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order
“The counting continued for several hours.”
The act of counting or tallying a quantity.
The result of a tally that reveals the number of items in a set; a quantity counted.
A nobleman holding a rank intermediate between dukes and barons.
A countdown.
The male ruler of a county.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Name or recite the numbers in ascending order
Used this way, count is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The toddler could count to 100.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “count to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: count to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Determineverb
“Can you count the books on your shelf?”
Name / reciteverb
“The toddler could count to 100.”
Counting / tallynoun
“The counting continued for several hours.”
More ways to use count
- “The toddler could count to 100.”verb
- “I can count my colleagues in the opposition.”verb
- “Can you count the books on your shelf?”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted.
The act of counting.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Frequency per minute.
A count who exercised royal authority in his own domain.
A measuring instrument for counting individual ionizing events.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: counting
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.