nine

[ nahyn ]

/ naɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR nine

noun

a cardinal number, eight plus one.

a symbol for this number, as 9 or IX.

a set of this many persons or things.

a baseball team.

a playing card with nine pips.

the Nine, the Muses.

adjective

amounting to nine in number.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.

Question 1 of 9

You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?

To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.

To stew in a sauce for a long time.

To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.

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Idioms for nine

dressed to the nines, looking one's best; dressed smartly, splendidly, etc.: All the girls were dressed to the nines for the party.

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

Words nearby nine

Nimwegen, Nimzowitsch, Nin, Nina, nincompoop, nine, nine ball, nine-banded armadillo, ninebark, nine days' wonder, nine-eleven

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for nine

This was nine fewer than what he needed just two years ago when 426 members of the House voted.
Democrats Accidentally Save Boehner From Republican Coup|Ben Jacobs, Jackie Kucinich|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and is marked by nine stations of the cross.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Denied parole nine straight times, he insists he is innocent of the crime for which he was convicted.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If you answered nine or more, you may have won a SONY Betamax and an eight-track operating system.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Nine new Republican senators will swear their oaths of office.
The Democrats’ Black Hole—and What They Can Do About It|Michael Tomasky|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He will be at church this afternoon; so, suppose you call here at nine this evening.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 83, September, 1864|Various
In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better shew more affection than she feels.
Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen
This makes nine five-pound loaves, cutting twenty-four slices each.
Quantity Cookery|Lenore Richards
Nine thousand persons had paid from one to five dollars each.
The Mapleson Memoirs, vol II|James H. Mapleson
The original nine, however, were far from gratified, and always regretted the golden age of early days.
Paris and its Story|Thomas Okey

British Dictionary definitions for nine

nine

/ (naɪn) /

noun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and eightSee also number (def. 1)

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

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

Also: nine o'clock nine hours after noon or midnightthe play starts at nine

dressed to the nines or dressed up to the nines informal elaborately dressed

999 (in Britain) the telephone number of the emergency services

nine to five normal office hourshe works nine to five; a nine-to-five job

determiner

amounting to ninenine days
(as pronoun)nine of the ten are ready

Other words from nine

Related prefix: nona-

Word Origin for nine

Old English nigon; related to Gothic niun, Latin novem

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with nine

nine

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

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