numeral

American  

[noo-mer-uhl, nyoo-, noom-ruhl, nyoom-] / ˈnu mər əl, ˈnju-, ˈnum rəl, ˈnjum- /

noun

• numerals
  plural

1. a word, letter, symbol, or figure, etc., expressing a number; number.

   the Roman numerals.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of numbers or numerals.

2. expressing or noting a number or numbers.

numeral British  

/ ˈnjuːmərəl /

noun

1. a symbol or group of symbols used to express a number: for example, 6 ( Arabic ), VI ( Roman ), 110 ( binary )

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adjective

1. of, consisting of, or denoting a number

numeral Scientific  

/ no̅o̅′mər-əl /

1. A symbol or mark used to represent a number.

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numeral Cultural  

1. A word or symbol used to represent a number.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonnumeral
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• numerals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of numeral

1520–30; < Late Latin numerālis of, belonging to number, equivalent to Latin numer ( us ) number + -ālis -al ¹

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Explanation

A numeral is a symbol that stands for a number. When you set an online password, it's safest to use both numerals and letters. The actual symbol that represents a number is technically called a numeral, although many people use numeral and number interchangeably. You might have a watch with glow-in-the-dark numerals, or use the calculator on your smart phone to add up numerals. You can also use numeral as an adjective: "How many numeral cards are in the deck and how many face cards?" The Latin root is numerus, or "number."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

numeral numerals

Their weights, or the numeral parameters that the model learns throughout the training process, can be downloaded directly and run locally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

The Saudi-backed circuit, whose name is derived from the Roman numeral for '54', had previously touted its three-round tournaments as a core distinction from traditional golf events.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025

Expedition 33 is set in Lumiere, a fictional world overshadowed by a huge monolith bearing a glowing numeral on its face.

From BBC ● May 3, 2025

In addition to the white skull and single lightning bolt, he said the image features a red numeral 4.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2024

He also wrote a book about the Hindu numeral system, which allowed the new style of numbers to spread quickly through the Arab world—along with algorithms, the tricks for multiplying and dividing Hindu numerals quickly.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Its chic leather case opened like a compact mirror, revealing a silver face with Roman numerals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

A large digital clock appeared at the start of each episode, with bright numerals showing the current time in 24-hour format, as Bauer raced against the clock to avert disaster.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026

"You might be feeling a familiar vexation at the sight of these two formerly innocuous numerals," Dictionary.com said, addressing parents as it announced the winner this week.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025

Needle-sharp in profile, measuring 11 metres long and weighing 15 tonnes, each bore the letters and numerals: "DF-17".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

Though the Arabs took the notation from India, the rest of the world would dub the new system Arabic numerals.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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