count

¹ American  

[kount] / kaʊnt /

verb (used with object)

• counts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• counted,
  past participle,  past
• counting
  present participle

1. to check over (the separate units or groups of a collection) one by one to determine the total number; add up; enumerate.

   He counted his tickets and found he had ten.

2. to reckon up; calculate; compute.

3. to list or name the numerals up to.

   Close your eyes and count ten.

4. to include in a reckoning; take into account.

   There are five of us here, counting me.

5. to consider or regard.

   He counted himself lucky to have survived the crash.

6. Archaic. to reckon to the credit of another; ascribe; impute.

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verb (used without object)

• counts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• counted,
  past participle,  past
• counting
  present participle

1. to count the items of a collection one by one in order to determine the total.

   She counted three times before she was satisfied that none was missing.

2. to list or name numerals in order.

   to count to 100 by fives.

3. to reckon numerically.

4. to have a specified numerical value.

5. to be accounted or worth something.

   That first try didn't count—I was just practicing.

6. to have merit, importance, value, etc.; deserve consideration.

   Every bit of help counts.

7. to have worth; amount (usually followed byfor ).

   Intelligence counts for something.

noun

1. the act of counting; enumeration; reckoning; calculation.

   A count of hands showed 23 in favor and 16 opposed.

2. the number representing the result of a process of counting; the total number.

3. an accounting.

4. Baseball. the number of balls and strikes, usually designated in that order, that have been called on a batter during a turn at bat.

   a count of two balls and one strike.

5. Law. a distinct charge or theory of action in a declaration or indictment.

   He was found guilty on two counts of theft.

6. Textiles.

   1. a number representing the size or quality of yarn, especially the number based on the relation of weight to length of the yarn and indicating its degree of coarseness.

   2. the number of warp and filling threads per square inch in woven material, representing the texture of the fabric.

7. Bowling. the number of pins struck down by the first ball rolled by a bowler in the frame following a spare and included in the score for the frame in which the spare was made.

8. Physics.

   1. a single ionizing reaction registered by an ionization chamber, as in a Geiger counter.

   2. the indication of the total number of ionizing reactions registered by an ionization chamber in a given period of time.

9. Also called the full count.  Boxing. the count, the calling aloud by the referee of the seconds from 1 to 10 while a downed boxer remains off his feet. Completion of the count signifies a knockout, which the referee then declares.

   A hard right sent the challenger down for the count.

10. Archaic. regard; notice.

adjective

1. noting a number of items determined by an actual count.

   The box is labeled 50 count.

verb phrase

1. count off (often used imperatively, as in the army) to count aloud by turns, as to arrange positions within a group of persons; divide or become divided into groups.

   Close up ranks and count off from the left by threes.

2. count in to include.

   If you're going to the beach, count me in.

3. count out

   1. Boxing. to declare (a boxer) a loser because of inability to stand up before the referee has counted 10 seconds.

   2. to exclude.

      When it comes to mountain climbing, count me out.

   3. to count and apportion or give out.

      She counted out four cookies to each child.

   4. to disqualify (ballots) illegally in counting, in order to control the election.

4. count down to count backward, usually by ones, from a given integer to zero.

5. count on / upon to depend or rely on.

   You can always count on him to lend you money.

idioms

1. count coup. coup.

count ² American  

[kount] / kaʊnt /

noun

1. (in some European countries) a nobleman equivalent in rank to an English earl.

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count ¹ British  

/ kaʊnt /

verb

1. to add up or check (each unit in a collection) in order to ascertain the sum; enumerate

   count your change

2. (tr) to recite numbers in ascending order up to and including

3. to take into account or include

   we must count him in

4. excluding

5. (tr) to believe to be; consider; think; deem

   count yourself lucky

6. (intr) to recite or list numbers in ascending order either in units or groups

   to count in tens

7. (intr) to have value, importance, or influence

   this picture counts as a rarity

8. to have a certain specified value or importance

   the job counts for a lot

9. (intr) music to keep time by counting beats

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noun

1. the act of counting or reckoning

2. the number reached by counting; sum

3. law a paragraph in an indictment containing a distinct and separate charge

4. physics the total number of photons or ionized particles detected by a counter

5. to keep a record of items, events, etc

6. to fail to keep an accurate record of items, events, etc

7. boxing wrestling the act of telling off a number of seconds by the referee, as when a boxer has been knocked down or a wrestler pinned by his opponent

8. boxing knocked out and unable to continue after a count of ten by the referee

9. boxing to be unable to continue after a count of ten

10. archaic notice; regard; account

count ² British  

/ kaʊnt /

noun

1. a nobleman in any of various European countries having a rank corresponding to that of a British earl

2. any of various officials in the late Roman Empire and under various Germanic kings in the early Middle Ages

3. a man who has received an honour ( papal knighthood ) from the Pope in recognition of good deeds, achievements, etc

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count More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing count

• down for the count
• every minute counts
• out for (the count)
• stand up and be counted

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• countship
  noun
• half-counted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• counting
  present
• counted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• count
  simple
• counts
  simple
• have counted
  perfect
• has counted
  perfect
• am counting
  progressive
• are counting
  progressive
• is counting
  progressive
• have been counting
  perfect progressive
• has been counting
  perfect progressive

Past

• counted
  simple
• had counted
  perfect
• was counting
  progressive
• were counting
  progressive
• had been counting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will count
  simple
• will have counted
  perfect
• will be counting
  progressive
• will have been counting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of count¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb counten, compten, from Anglo-French c(o)unter, Old French conter, from Latin computāre “to count up, reckon”; Middle English noun counte, conte, compte, from Anglo-French c(o)unte, Old French conte, cunte, from Late Latin computus “calculation, reckoning,” noun derivative of computāre compute ( def. )

Origin of count²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English counte. comite, counete, from Anglo-French c(o)unte, Old French conte, comte, from Late Latin comitem, accusative of comes honorary title of various imperial functionaries, Latin: “retainer, staff member,” literally, ”companion”; see origin at comes

Explanation

To count is to calculate how many or how much of something there is. A first grade teacher might stop and count her students before they board a bus after a field trip. You can count your money, adding up the dollars and quarters, or count the calories in the food you eat each day. When your cat has kittens, you might count them and announce, "Seven kittens!" Another way to count is to list the numbers in order: "One, two, three, four..." When count is a noun, it refers to the title of a nobleman. This meaning comes from the Latin comes, "companion," or specifically "companion to the emperor."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

count counts counted counting

The company opened 15 net new stores in the quarter, bringing its store count to 352.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

I have lost count of the number of messages I have deleted and people I have blocked.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

She added: “We do expect the case count to increase even if the illnesses occurred a couple of weeks ago, since it takes us a while to detect cases in surveillance.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Workers regularly collect the trapped mosquitoes and, after sticking them in a fridge for a while to knock them out, sort them by species and count them.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

I turn away and count and breathe, count and breathe, trying to loosen the tangled lump, determined not to let anything mess with my calm.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

After a three-week trial, I was acquitted on four counts and convicted on two, after which a judge sentenced me to a 16-month term of incarceration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The current Clacton contest counts towards the three-contest threshold to be included in the analysis.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

The magazine also raved about “skinny queen” influencer Amanda Dobler for “not apologizing” after coaching followers to avoid even wasabi and soy sauce, because their negligible calorie counts are deemed excessive.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

SSI uses “deeming rules” once you’re married, so the SSA counts a portion of your income as available to your wife, whether or not you actually share it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

In Los Angeles, a grand jury indicted Daniel Ellsberg on three felony counts, including theft and unauthorized possession of classified documents, and violation of the Espionage Act.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

El-Sayed was leading Stevens by 15,000 votes, about 1 percentage point, with 99% of votes counted Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

For example, researchers last year counted more than 1 million different badges, which are digital displays of a worker’s skills and accomplishments.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

After the votes were counted, Mica Harris and Samraj Toor were forced to leave having received the most.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The corps was far more numerous than the populations of the villages on its route; its ravages cleaned out food stores that local peoples counted on for survival.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

He grabbed several shells, counted them in secret; then closed his hand, so neither Maggie, Kate, nor Leah could see.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Europe used to lead the pharmaceutical business, and while it’s still a considerable player, counting AstraZeneca, GSK, Novartis and Roche, its grip is slipping.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Stevens is counting on support that she says may be underrepresented in opinion polls -- from Black voters, older Democrats and people without college degrees.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Azam says she has been "counting down the days" until the festival - and she's not the only one who's excited.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Chesney is counting on Iamaleava to make things move smoothly for UCLA’s offense this season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

The old man had his wallet in his hands and was counting out dollar bills.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

• calculation
• poll
• result
• toll
• total