What does "eight" mean?
The digit/figure 8.
Eight
/eɪt/ adj, noun, num
adj, noun, num ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The digit/figure 8.
- Grammar: eight is listed as adj, noun, num.
- Nearest alternatives: 8, 8, ashcan school, cardinal numeral.
- Useful contrasts: none, one, seven.
- Usage evidence: Our school begins at eight in the morning.
How to use "eight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "eight" 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 "eight" 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 "eight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "eight" 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 "eight" is acting as adj, noun, num 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 "8" 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 "eight", 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 digit/figure 8.
- 2 Alternative spelling of ait (island in a river) alt-of, alternative
- 3 one of four playing cards in a deck with eight pips on the face wordnet
- 4 Any of the four cards in a normal deck with the value eight.
- 5 a group of United States painters founded in 1907 and noted for their realistic depictions of sordid aspects of city life wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A light, narrow rowing boat, especially one used in competitive rowing, steered by a cox, in which eight rowers each have two oars.
- 7 the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one wordnet
- 8 A race in which such craft participate. especially, plural
- 9 The eight people who crew a rowing-boat.
- 10 Eight o'clock.
"About eight on the Saturday morning, she purchases a large sheath-knife in the Palais Royal [...]"
Adjective
- 1 Obsolete spelling of eighth. alt-of, not-comparable, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 being one more than seven wordnet
Numeral
- 1 A numerical value equal to 8; the number occurring after seven and before nine.
"Jon & Kate Plus 8 is a show based on two facts: 1) Jon and Kate Gosselin have eight children, and 2) the word ‘Kate’ rhymes with the word ‘eight’. One suspects that if Kate were ever to have another child, a shady network executive would urge her to put it in a binbag with a brick and drop it down a well. But this is just a horrifying tangent."
- 2 Describing a group or set with eight elements.
"He works eight hours a day."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Our school begins at eight in the morning."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "eight"?
Common synonyms include: 8, 8, ashcan school, cardinal numeral, cast, company.
How do you use "eight" in a sentence?
Our school begins at eight in the morning.
How do you pronounce "eight"?
Pronounced /eɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *oḱtṓw From Middle English eighte, aught, eahte, ahte, from Old English eahta, from Proto-West Germanic *ahtō, from Proto-Germanic *ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw. Cognate with Scots aucht (“eight”), West Frisian acht (“eight”), Dutch acht (“eight”), Low German acht (“eight”), German acht (“eight”), Norwegian åtte (“eight”), Swedish åtta (“eight”), Icelandic átta (“eight”), Latin octo (“eight”), Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (oktṓ), Irish ocht (“eight”), among others. False cognate of Tamil எட்டு (eṭṭu), Malayalam എട്ട് (eṭṭŭ).
Etymology 2
See ait.