count for
Idioms-
Have importance or worth, as in Doesn't his long tenure count for anything? or Does this tournament count for computer points? This usage employs count in the sense of “enter into a reckoning.” [Mid-1800s]
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count for nothing . Have no influence or effect, as in All his work counts for nothing since they've dropped the project . This idiom was first recorded in 1861.
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.
Age and experience count for a lot in life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Individual choice must count for something, or else why bother building a career at all?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
In drawing the moral to this experience, Graham wrote: “One lucky break, or one supremely shrewd decision — can we tell them apart? — may count for more than a lifetime of journeyman efforts.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
These days, that’s got to count for something.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
“You used to help me all the time, my Ace of Hearts. All the experiments we conducted to uncover the nature of our light. We spent our childhood together. That ought to count for something.”
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
