eight

American  

[eyt] / eɪt /

noun

1. a cardinal number, seven plus one.

2. a symbol for this number, as 8 or VIII.

3. a set of this many persons or things, as the crew of an eight-oared racing shell.

4. a playing card the face of which bears eight pips.

5. Informal.

   1. an automobile powered by an eight-cylinder engine.

   2. an eight-cylinder engine.

---

adjective

1. amounting to eight in number.

eight British  

/ eɪt /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of one and seven and the product of two and four See also number

2. a numeral, 8, VIII, etc, representing this number

3. music the numeral 8 used as the lower figure in a time signature to indicate that the beat is measured in quavers

4. the amount or quantity that is one greater than seven

5. something representing, represented by, or consisting of eight units, such as a playing card with eight symbols on it

6. rowing

   1. a racing shell propelled by eight oarsmen

   2. the crew of such a shell

7. Also called: eight o'clock.  eight hours after noon or midnight

8. slang to be drunk

9. See figure of eight

---

determiner

1. 1. amounting to eight

   2. ( as pronoun )

      I could only find eight

eight Idioms  

1. see behind the eight ball.

---

Usage

Spelling tips for 8 The word eight (8) is hard to spell because it is not spelled the way it sounds [ eyt ]. There are a number of silent letters. How to spell eight: The easiest way to remember how to spell eight is with the classic mnemonic device: “I before E, except after C, except when it’s pronounced like a long A, as in neighbor and weigh.” The collection of letters eigh often makes a long A sound. To this, you simply add the t at the end: eight.

Etymology

Origin of eight

before 1000; Middle English eighte, Old English ( e ) ahta; cognate with Dutch acht, Old Saxon, Old High German ahto ( German acht ), Old Norse ātta, Gothic ahtau, Latin octō, Greek oktṓ, Old Irish ocht, Welsh wyth, Breton eiz, Tocharian B okt, Lithuanian aštuonì, Albanian tetë, Armenian uth, Persian hasht, Sanskrit aṣṭáu; apparently an old dual in form, but not clear of what

Example Sentences

Eight analysts cover FedEx Freight, with 38% rating shares Buy; the average price target is $168 per share.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Eight years later, the film adaptation was nominated for best animated feature at the Oscars, having been co-directed by Satrapi.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Eight cases have been reported in Uganda, with one death.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

“Given the economic environment, people are still prioritizing savings and retirement. Eight in 10 people are saving enough to get their employer match,” said Kirsten Hunter Peterson, vice president of workplace thought leadership at Fidelity.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

“However,” said Joe, rising to replenish the fire; “here’s the Dutch-clock a-working himself up to being equal to strike Eight of ’em, and she’s not come home yet!

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens