count

¹ American  

[kaunt] / 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  

[kaunt] / 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

But their friendship could count for nothing in the castle, Ranganathan said ahead of the show.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

But then, in a two-strike count, Skubal missed his spot, giving Baldwin a thigh-high changeup that he could drive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Imagine them playing a tiebreaker, only for the winning team to be told at the end, yeah you’re both moving into the playoffs, we made a deal, the game didn’t count.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The latest homeless count showed an increase in the number of people living on the street, dealing a setback to a mayor who staked her reputation on the issue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Three if you count CPU, who charges after them even though they’re twice her size.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

It also stacks an additional $15,000 credit for each new hire to incentivize expanding journalist head counts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

In the shifting labor landscape, people in their 20s are trying to figure out what counts as success.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

"You don't have much time when dealing with meningitis and every hour counts in potentially saving your life."

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

By some counts, it would have been the eighth.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026

Township to township to township, she counts and taps her fingers together.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

But this year may also illuminate broader forces that continue to resonate long after votes are counted.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

We counted at least five within half an hour, heading towards Taiz's main hospital.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

I hadn’t counted them up — shame on me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

But observers warned that those results could still change, with some votes only due to be counted as of Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

After all, with thank-you notes, as with so many other things in life, it was the thought that counted.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

For those who are counting, that’s a glorious extra 5 cents an hour.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

When companies announce buybacks or dividends, investors often make the mental error of double counting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Echoing his words, President Zelensky said "the perpetrator of this evil must bear full responsibility according to the law", adding that Ukraine was counting on "a quick and thorough investigation of all circumstances".

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

By nightfall they were depending almost entirely on radio navigation, counting on people far away to relay their location to them in radio messages.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• calculation
• poll
• result
• toll
• total