enumerate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
to ascertain the number of; count.
verb
-
(tr) to mention separately or in order; name one by one; list
-
(tr) to determine the number of; count
-
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
- enumerable adjective
- enumeration noun
- enumerative adjective
- enumerator noun
- nonenumerative adjective
- preenumerate verb (used with object)
- reenumerate verb (used with object)
- unenumerative adjective
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
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.
Cheerful illustrations accompanied by rhyming text enumerate little acts of love over the course of a day, from early-morning wake-ups to indulging requests for one more bedtime lullaby.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 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
The King County Regional Homelessness Authority set out to fix that in 2022, switching from physically counting tents to a statistical sampling method that could enumerate people outside even if they were hidden.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2024
To workers and their families, suffering has far-reaching consequences that are hard to enumerate.
From Salon • Sep. 6, 2023
Mr. Sharpe’s arm, previously raised with fingers outstretched to enumerate, again and again, the little stock of what devoured what, had fallen to his side.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
