enumerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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enumerates,
present (3rd person singular)
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enumerated,
past participle, past
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enumerating
present participle
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to mention separately as if in counting; name one by one; specify, as in a list.
Let me enumerate the many flaws in your hypothesis.
- Synonyms:
- recount, recapitulate
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to ascertain the number of; count.
verb
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(tr) to mention separately or in order; name one by one; list
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(tr) to determine the number of; count
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to compile or enter (a name or names) in a voting list for an area
Usage
What does enumerate mean? Enumerate means to name or list things one by one. Enumerate is typically used as a more formal alternative to the verb list. It emphasizes the fact that things are being specifically identified and listed one at a time. Less commonly, enumerate simply means to count. In Canada, it has a much more specific use: it means to enter names in an area’s voting list. Example: I welcome constructive criticism, but you don’t have to enumerate every single one of my mistakes in front of the rest of the people at the meeting.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enumerationnoun
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enumeratornoun
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preenumerateverb (used with object)
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reenumerateverb (used with object)
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enumerableadjective
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enumerativeadjective
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nonenumerativeadjective
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unenumerativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enumeratesimple
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enumeratessimple
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have enumeratedperfect
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has enumeratedperfect
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am enumeratingprogressive
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are enumeratingprogressive
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is enumeratingprogressive
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have been enumeratingperfect progressive
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has been enumeratingperfect progressive
Past
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enumeratedsimple
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had enumeratedperfect
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was enumeratingprogressive
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were enumeratingprogressive
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had been enumeratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enumerate
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin ēnumerātus “counted out,” past participle of ēnumerāre “to count out,” from ē- e- 1 ( def. ) + numer(us) number + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
To enumerate is to list or count off one by one. Before you ask for a raise, you'd better be able to enumerate all the reasons why you deserve more money. Tally, total, add up, compute — however you put it, enumerate is basically just another way to say "count." As in, "How do I love thee? Let me enumerate the ways." This verb came about in the 1610’s as a variation on the Latin enumerates, which means “to reckon up or count over.” To quote Paul Valery, the French critic, essayist, and poet, “Science is feasible when the variables are few and can be enumerated; when their combinations are distinct and clear."
Vocabulary lists containing enumerate
Grade 9, List 4
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Brave New World
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Last year, the government announced a census to enumerate the country’s castes officially.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
"Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues."
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
“That process should look at their current risk tolerance and help enumerate their goals, both short and long term, which will help you and the adviser determine the appropriate mix of investments.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
Our approach to marking hip-hop’s 50th anniversary was to enumerate 50 moments that shaped the culture, one per year from 1973 to 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2023
Pythagoras did not simply enumerate examples of this theorem; he developed a method of mathematical deduction to prove the thing generally.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Mr. Elwes, a mathematical logician and professor at the University of Leeds, enumerates a multitude of such anecdotes—delightful, insightful, informative—to illustrate the bigger picture in “Huge Numbers.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
“The hungry throng” that Lee-Mäder enumerates includes at least 40 insect species that “feed often or exclusively on North American milkweeds in the summer,” he writes.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
In her new book, “Screaming on the Inside,” Grose enumerates the ways in which a broken system pushes mothers in particular past the breaking point, ruining their careers, their mental health and often their lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
McClodden’s works are meticulously grounded in their physical nature, evidenced by the way she always enumerates their material components.
From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2022
One page after Tanaina Plantlore enumerates the wild potato, it describes a closely related species, wild sweet pea, Hedysarum mackenzii.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Several of these factors were enumerated this week by Arun Sundaram, senior vice president for investment strategy at CFRA.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., enumerated some of the Democrats’ demands in the Senate earlier this week.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
Not everyone may share in the authors’ nostalgia for the period—and the voluminously enumerated attractions of the World’s Fair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
“The Commission has not, to date, made a determination regarding whether any such contracts involve an activity enumerated or prohibited.”
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025
She enumerated for Gladys, who had been working for us only a month, all the treasures el doctor had brought his girls.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Throughout its episodes lurk excerpts of dialogue enumerating frustration about the state of the world that could be mistaken for modern complaints.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2025
Discovery announced additional details about its corporate split, saying the separate entities will be called Warner Bros. and Discovery Global and enumerating the properties that will fall under each separate company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
She quickly proved her worth to the family brand, sweetly selling her father-in-law’s every whim and enumerating the evil forces bent on taking him down.
From Slate ● Jan. 20, 2025
At the same time, “Some people are concerned that enumerating caste will solidify identities,” Jodhka says.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 22, 2024
He answered their concerns one by one, enumerating their rights and explaining how to wring justice out of various government agencies.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
