# count

/ˈkaʊnt/ (US) · /kˈaʊnt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/count
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to say numbers in order

verb · CEFR A1

to say numbers one after another in the correct order.

For teachers: to recite numbers in a sequential progression.

- The child can already count from one to ten without any help.
- Before the game of hide-and-seek began, the seeker had to count to fifty while the other children found places to hide.

### 2. to find the total

verb · CEFR A1

to see how many things there are in a group.

For teachers: to determine the total number of items in a specific set or group.

- I need to count the remaining chairs to see if we have enough for everyone.
- The cashier had to count the contents of the till twice because the final sum did not match the daily sales report.

### 3. to be important

verb · CEFR B1

to be significant or to matter in a situation.

For teachers: to be of value, significance, or importance within a specific context.

- In this competition, every single point will count toward the final score.
- Although he was not the lead researcher, his contributions to the data analysis really count when evaluating the project's success.

### 4. to consider as

verb · CEFR B2

to think of someone or something as having a certain quality.

For teachers: to regard or account someone or something as being a particular thing.

- I count myself lucky to have such supportive friends and family.
- The historian counts the discovery of the manuscript as one of the most significant events of the decade.

### 5. the total number

noun · CEFR A2

the final number you get after checking how many things there are.

For teachers: the result of a tally or the total number of items identified in a set.

- At the last count, there were twenty people waiting outside the shop.
- The official body count after the earthquake remained uncertain as rescue teams continued to search the rubble.

### 6. a nobleman

noun · CEFR B2

a man of high social rank in some European countries.

For teachers: a title of nobility in various European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl.

- The Count lived in a large castle in the mountains of Italy.
- The novel follows the adventures of a young man who inherits a vast estate and the title of Count from his uncle.

### 7. legal charge

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal · Technical

one of several specific crimes that a person is accused of in court.

For teachers: a distinct and separate charge in a legal indictment or criminal complaint.

- The jury found the defendant guilty on all three counts of fraud.
- The prosecutor decided to drop the lesser counts in exchange for a guilty plea on the primary felony charge.

### 8. grammar type

adjective · CEFR B2 · Technical

a type of noun that you can use with numbers and make plural.

For teachers: referring to a noun that can be preceded by a number and has a plural form.

- Words like 'apple' and 'chair' are count nouns because you can have two of them.
- Learners often struggle with the distinction between count and non-count nouns, particularly with words like 'information' or 'advice'.

Usage: Usually placed before the noun 'noun'.

## Examples

- The final count showed that twelve people attended the meeting.
- After the teacher finished the head count, she realized two students were still in the library.
- The defendant was found guilty on the first count of fraud but was acquitted of the remaining three charges due to a lack of physical evidence.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.