Word
outnumber
Phoneticsout·num·ber
US/aʊtˈnəmbɝ/
UK/aʊtnˈʌmbɐ/
Definition
v. to have more of something than another group or thing. You use this when you want to say one group is larger than another.
v. to be greater in number than another group or entity. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the group being compared.
Examples
“The number of students in the class outnumber the teachers.”
“In many rural areas, the number of elderly residents often outnumbers the younger population.”
“While the initial survey suggested a narrow lead, the final results showed that the opposition candidates outnumbered the incumbent party by a significant margin.”
Examples
simple
“The number of students in the class outnumber the teachers.”
contextual
“In many rural areas, the number of elderly residents often outnumbers the younger population.”
complex
“While the initial survey suggested a narrow lead, the final results showed that the opposition candidates outnumbered the incumbent party by a significant margin.”
Real-World Examples
“This was an uncharacteristic performance from Gauff, whose 22 winners were vastly outnumbered by 42 unforced errors, including 12 double faults.” “Four decades on, a top-level manager is running a team of coaches and analysts that probably outnumbers the players with whom he has direct contact.” Etymology
From out- + number.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/outnumber