nine

[ nahyn ]

/ naɪn /

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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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nine in a sentence

Like the other speakers, Adams recalled a dedicated friend, and one who was always dressed to the nines.
I Was There: Inside Joan Rivers’ Funeral|Tim Teeman|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Jake Gyllenhaal and More Actors Stand Up for Vet Awareness|Alyse Walsh|May 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
By 5:30 p.m., the band members emerge—dressed to the nines—and assume their position.
A Day in the Life of The Roots' Questlove|Marlow Stern|December 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It is up to the viewer to respond to who they are and, perhaps, to imagine why they are dressed to the nines.
Breaking Barriers in African Photography|Philip Gefter|August 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He was clean-shaven, sweet-smelling, and dressed to the nines.
Exclusive Excerpt: MLK's Haunting Final Hours|Hampton Sides|April 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Dress ourselves up to the nines, an' put on paint an' powder, an' send off to the stores to hire clo'es an' wigs?
Country Neighbors|Alice Brown
It is but three nines or three knaves, or a mixture of them.
Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters|William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh
“Dig out three replacement switches—heavy-duty six-double-oh-B-nines,” said Multhaus.
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett
Honest Jack Pearce, one of the few good seamen we had aboard, was rubbing down one of the nines beside me.
Richard Carvel, Complete|Winston Churchill
Hodge dropped his nines, which he had not bettered, and that left Merriwell and Snell to fight it out.
Frank Merriwell's Chums|Burt L. Standish

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

Other 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.

nine

Idioms about nine

Origin of nine

Words related to nine

How to use nine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nine

Other words from nine

Word Origin for nine

Other Idioms and Phrases with nine