number
n. countablen. a word or symbol that shows an amount or a position in a list. You use them to count things, tell the time, or identify your phone.
n. a mathematical object used to count, measure, or label. It can refer to a specific quantity or a symbol representing that quantity.
The number of students in the class is twenty.
Please leave your phone number on the form so we can contact you about the delivery.
The sheer number of variables involved in the experiment made it difficult for the researchers to isolate a single cause for the observed reaction.
From Middle English number, nombre, numbre, noumbre, from Anglo-Norman noumbre, Old French nombre, from Latin numerus (“number”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to divide”). Compare Saterland Frisian Nummer, Nuumer, West Frisian nûmer, Dutch nummer (“number”), German Nummer (“number”), Danish nummer (“number”), Swedish nummer (“number”), Icelandic númer (“number”). Replaced Middle English ȝetæl and rime, more at tell, tale and rhyme.
From numb (adjective) + -er.
Equivalent to numb (verb) + -er
Commonly used with 'of' to indicate a quantity of plural nouns.
a large amount of peoplea large number of peopleUse 'number' for countable nouns like people; 'amount' is reserved for uncountable nouns like water or time.