numbered

numbered — verb

1. to give each item in a set its own number by writing the number on it, usually t

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to give each item in a set its own number by writing the number on it, usually to show the order the items belong in

Example

The librarian numbered each shelf so visitors could find books easily.

number + each [item] in a set for organisation

Eli numbered the pages of his notebook before handing it in.

Common collocations
  • number pages
  • number seats
  • number tickets
  • number boxes
  • number items
Synonyms
  • label

    broader — you can label with letters, words, or symbols, not just numbers

  • mark

    less specific — marking can be any visible sign, not just a number

Antonyms
  • unmarked

    left without any identifying symbol

Grammar Patterns

number + object

Usage Note

This sense is always transitive — you number something. The object is typically a set of physical items (pages, seats, tickets, boxes).

Common Mistakes

She numbered the line at the supermarket.
She counted the people in the line.
'numbered' means you write numbers on items; 'counted' means you find out how many there are.

2. to reach a particular total when people, things, or groups are added together —

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveC2
Definition

to reach a particular total when people, things, or groups are added together — for example, a crowd numbering in the thousands, or members numbering around fifty

Example

The crowd at the festival numbered more than three thousand people.

number + quantity (directly following subject)

Zayd's stamp collection now numbers over four hundred items.

Common collocations
  • number in the thousands
  • number over [quantity]
  • be numbered at
  • number around
  • number more than
Synonyms
  • total

    directly interchangeable in most cases; more common in everyday speech

  • amount to

    more formal; often used with quantities of money or effort rather than counts of people

Grammar Patterns

number + quantity

be numbered at + quantity

Usage Note

This sense acts as a linking verb — the subject is the set being counted, and the complement is the resulting total. Common in formal writing (reports, news articles). Distinguish from sense 1: here you do NOT write numbers on anything.

Common Mistakes

The party numbered 150 guests last night.
The party had 150 guests last night.
'numbered' sounds unnatural for informal social events and is better suited to formal reports.

numbered — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Numbered' means something has been given a specific number to show its position — for example, numbered tickets or numbered seats in a theatre. 'Labelled' is broader: a label can be a number, a letter, a word, or a barcode. 'Classified' goes further — it means items are sorted into groups based on shared features, not just assigned an order. 'Marked' is the most general: any visible sign (a checkmark, a stamp, a scratch) counts as a mark. If you buy a concert ticket, it is numbered (seat 24, row C). If you put name tags on luggage, the bags are labelled. If a library sorts books by topic, they are classified. If you put a tick next to completed tasks, they are marked.

numbered ↗labelledclassified ↗marked ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • carefully numbered
  • clearly numbered
  • sequentially numbered
  • consecutively numbered

Phrases

  • days are numbered
  • time is numbered
  • numbered in the [quantity]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'numbered' is the past participle of the verb 'number', which came into English from the Old French 'nombrer' (to count, to number), itself from the Latin 'numerare' (to count). The Latin root 'numerus' (a number) is also the source of 'numerous', 'numerical', and 'enumerate'. The adjective uses of 'numbered' (marked with a number; limited in time) developed naturally from the verb as English speakers needed ways to describe items that had been assigned numbers and, metaphorically, situations where the remaining time could be counted.