What does "count" mean?
The act of counting or tallying a quantity.
Count
/kaʊnt/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of counting or tallying a quantity.
- Grammar: count is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: number, numerate, tally, a number.
- Useful contrasts: uncounted, most number sense, amounts.
- Usage evidence: You should only count on yourself--but even then, not too much.
How to use "count"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "count" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "count" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "count" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "count" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "count" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "number" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "count", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of counting or tallying a quantity.
"Give the chairs a quick count to check if we have enough."
- 2 The male ruler of a county.
- 3 the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order wordnet
- 4 The result of a tally that reveals the number of items in a set; a quantity counted.
"By the official count, there are something like thirteen hundred species of birds in the Amazon, but Cohn-Haft thinks there are actually a good many more, because people have relied too much on features like size and plumage and not paid enough attention to sound."
- 5 A nobleman holding a rank intermediate between dukes and barons.
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a nobleman (in various countries) having rank equal to a British earl wordnet
- 7 A countdown.
- 8 Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Tanaecia. Other butterflies in this genus are called earls and viscounts.
- 9 the total number counted wordnet
- 10 A distinct and separate charge in an indictment or complaint.
"Zou, who was living in Elephant and Castle, south-east London, was convicted of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offences relating to one victim. He was also convicted of three counts of voyeurism, 10 of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and three of possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence."
- 11 The number of balls and strikes, respectively, on a batter's in-progress plate appearance.
"He has a 3–2 count with the bases loaded."
- 12 An object of interest or account; value; estimation. obsolete
"When he was readie to his steede to mount / Vnto his way, which now was all his care and count."
- 13 Cunt (the taboo swear word) slang
"That count deserves a punishment."
Verb
- 1 To recite numbers in sequence. intransitive
"Can you count to a hundred?"
- 2 include as if by counting wordnet
- 3 To determine the number of (objects in a group). transitive
"Count the number of apples in the bag and write down the number on the spreadsheet."
- 4 take account of wordnet
- 5 To amount to, to number in total. intransitive
"They counted thirty, crowded in a space Which left scarce room for motion or exertion; […]"
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 have faith or confidence in wordnet
- 7 To be of significance; to matter; to be considered (as something); to be included (of something). figuratively, intransitive
"Your views don’t count here."
- 8 name or recite the numbers in ascending order wordnet
- 9 To be an example of something: often followed by as and an indefinite noun. figuratively, intransitive
"Apples count as a type of fruit."
- 10 determine the number or amount of wordnet
- 11 To consider something as an example of something or as having some quality; to account, to regard as. transitive
"He counts himself a hero after saving the cat from the river."
- 12 show consideration for; take into account wordnet
- 13 To reckon in, to include in consideration. transitive
"They walked for three days, not counting the time spent resting."
- 14 have weight; have import, carry weight wordnet
- 15 To take account or note (of), to care (for). intransitive, obsolete
"[…]to make her faire, that no man counts of her beauty."
- 16 put into a group wordnet
- 17 To recount, to tell. obsolete, transitive
- 18 have a certain value or carry a certain weight wordnet
- 19 To plead orally; to argue a matter in court; to recite a count. UK, intransitive, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Countable. not-comparable
"For example, the term abuse would require at least one definition for the uncount usage ‘invective, insulting language’, and another for the count usage ‘an item of invective, an insult’."
- 2 Used to show the amount of like items in a package. not-comparable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You should only count on yourself--but even then, not too much."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "count"?
Common synonyms include: number, numerate, tally, a number, a reckoning of, account.
How do you use "count" in a sentence?
You should only count on yourself--but even then, not too much.
How do you pronounce "count"?
Pronounced /kaʊnt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English counten, borrowed from Anglo-Norman conter, from Old French conter (“add up; tell a story”), from Latin computō (“I compute”). In this sense, displaced native Old English tellan, whence Modern English tell. Doublet of compute. Compare typologically reckon, Russian счита́ть (sčitátʹ), счита́ться (sčitátʹsja); the semantic evolution to Mongolian санах (sanax).
Etymology 2
From Middle English counte, from Anglo-Norman conte and Old French comte (“count”), from Latin comes (“companion”) (more specifically derived from its accusative form comitem) in the sense of "noble fighting alongside the king". Doublet of comes, comte, and conte.