Word Confusion: Numbers versus Numerals

Plural for the noun: numbers
Gerund: numbering

Third person present verb: numbers
Past tense or past participle: numbered
Present participle: numbering

Plural for the noun: numerals

• [Dated; numbers] Arithmetic

A quantity or amount

• [a number of] Several
• A group or company of people
• [numbers] A large quantity or amount, often in contrast to a smaller one
• Numerical preponderance

A numeral or string of numerals used to identify a person or thing, especially in numerical order

[Mainly British] A single issue of a magazine

• A song, dance, piece of music, etc., especially one of several in a performance
• [Informal; usually with adjective or
  noun modifier] A thing, typically an item of clothing, of a particular type, regarded with approval or admiration

[Grammar] The grammatical category that classifies a noun, pronoun, or verb as singular or plural. (Woman, it, and is are singular; women, they, and are are plural.)

According to standard procedure, rules, customs, etc.

• Orthodoxly
• By the book

Verb, intransitive:
To make a total

• Reach an amount

[Usually followed by among or with] To be numbered or included

To count

Verb, transitive:
Amount to (a specified figure or quantity)

• Comprise

Mark with a number, distinguish by numbers, or assign a number to, or comprise in number, typically to indicate position in a series

• Total
• Count

Include or classify as a member of a group

To consider or include in a number

To count over one by one

• Tell

To mention individually or one by one

• Enumerate

To set or fix the number of

• Limit in number
• Make few in number

To live or have lived (a number of years)

To ascertain the number of

To apportion or divide

Expressing or noting a number or numbers

Noun:
A conventional word, letter, figure, symbol, or group of these denoting a number

• A word expressing a number

[Plural noun; numerals] Numbers that designate by year a school or college class and that are awarded for distinction in an extracurricular activity

[Card game] A card whose rank is a number (usually including the ace as 1)

He chose an even number.

The boy was adept at numbers.

The company is seeking to increase the number of women on its staff.

The exhibition attracted vast numbers of visitors.

We have discussed the matter on a number of occasions.

There were some distinguished names among our number.

The weight of numbers turned the battle against them.

Well, she gave me a telephone number.

We saw it in the October number of Travel.

They go from one melodious number to another.

Yvonne was wearing a little black number.

The form of English pronouns reflects their number and gender.

We’re going to run things here by the numbers.

Your number’s up, buddy.

Verb, intransitive:
Casualties numbered in the thousands.

The ships in the harbor number around 100.

Several eminent scientists number among his friends.

Tickets sold for the show were numbered at 500.

Verb, transitive:
The demonstrators numbered more than 5,000.

Each document was numbered consecutively.

Number each of the definitions.

The manuscript already numbers 425 pages.

Strategies like ours can be numbered on the fingers of one hand.

The orchestra numbers Brahms among its past conductors.

I number myself among his friends.

We should number our blessings.

They numbered the highlights of their trip at length.

The sick old man’s days are numbered.

John had numbered 107 years on this earthly plane.

Did you number the pages of the report?

The players were numbered into two teams.

“The numeral ring is bordered by a single row of diamonds on the inside and two rows on the bezel for a total of 3.48 carats” (Reddinger).

Noun:
“Then there are the big grotesque numerals in the bottom-right corners: no drop-shadows, no serifs, no swashes, no fun” (Bostwick).

The symbols I, V, X, L, C, D, and M represent the numbers 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 respectively in Roman numerals.

“It was all blocky roman numerals and heavy-handed illustrations” (Stinson).

Valeria Lopez won the ’21 Sarah Castle Award.

Jacks, queens, and kings are not numerals.