nine

American  

[nahyn] / naɪn /

noun

1. a cardinal number, eight plus one.

2. a symbol for this number, as 9 or IX.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a baseball team.

5. a playing card with nine pips.

6. the Nine, the Muses.

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adjective

1. amounting to nine in number.

idioms

1. dressed to the nines, looking one's best; dressed smartly, splendidly, etc..

   All the girls were dressed to the nines for the party.

nine British  

/ naɪn /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of one and eight See also number

2. a numeral, 9, IX, etc, representing this number

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

4. Also: nine o'clock.  nine hours after noon or midnight

   the play starts at nine

5. informal elaborately dressed

6. (in Britain) the telephone number of the emergency services

7. normal office hours

   he works nine to five

   a nine-to-five job

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to nine

      nine days

   2. ( as pronoun )

      nine of the ten are ready

nine More Idioms  

1. see dressed to kill (to the nines); on cloud nine; possession is nine points of the law; whole nine yards.

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Etymology

Origin of nine

before 900; Middle English; Old English nigan, nigon, cognate with Dutch negen, akin to German neun, Old Norse nīu, Gothic niun, Latin novem, Greek ennéa, Sanskrit náva

Example Sentences

A double bogey and bogey in a three-hole span on the front nine dropped him into fourth place, two strokes off the lead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Then, McIlroy faltered under the weight of history as a free-swinging Rose blitzed the back nine to force the extra hole.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Collin Morikawa, dealing with a back injury that affected his confidence in his legs, got hot on the second nine and tore off five birdies in a row.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

With nine stages, the festival will host a wide range of genres, including Brazil's Luisa Sonza, influencer-turned-singer Addison Rae, Britain's PinkPantheress, K-pop star Taemin and David Byrne, the legendary co-founder of the band Talking Heads.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Henk brought a sheet of paper from the desk in the next room and tore it into nine small strips.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom