outnumber
Americanverb (used with object)
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outnumbers,
present (3rd person singular)
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outnumbered,
past participle, past
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outnumbering
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outnumbersimple
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outnumberssimple
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have outnumberedperfect
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has outnumberedperfect
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am outnumberingprogressive
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are outnumberingprogressive
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is outnumberingprogressive
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have been outnumberingperfect progressive
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has been outnumberingperfect progressive
Past
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outnumberedsimple
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had outnumberedperfect
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was outnumberingprogressive
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were outnumberingprogressive
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had been outnumberingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outnumber
Explanation
To outnumber is to have more of one thing than another. Sometimes it’s good, like when chocolate chips outnumber the raisins in the trail mix. Sometimes it’s bad, like when ants outnumber the people at a picnic. In many cities, pigeons seem to outnumber any other kind of bird — in other words, there are more pigeons than sparrows, crows, and robins. If the girls in a class outnumber boys by three to one, there are three times more girls than boys. And in a school cafeteria, lunches that include meat will often outnumber the vegetarian choices. This verb has been around since the 1600s. It makes it sound like counting is a competition.
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.
See Examples For:
In some regions, cash buyers outnumber those who buy with a mortgage.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
The people he deems “weirdos” far outnumber those in his narrow category, presumably of non-weirdos, many times over.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Also notable: The number of S&P 500 stocks hitting new 52-week highs was on track to outnumber those hitting new 52-week lows for the first time in about a month.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Utah Valley is located in a conservative area – where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats more than seven to one.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
If you’re counting, you’ll notice the earlys outnumber the lates.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
The Titanic Syndrome indicator triggers when the Nasdaq Composite is at, or near, record territory, while the number of constituent stocks within it that are hitting fresh 52-week lows outnumbers those making new 52-week highs.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
With roughly 70 of them, the U.S.’s nuclear-submarine fleet outnumbers China by more than five to one, according to U.S. military and third-party estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Meta says the number of photos sent in direct messages now outnumbers those shared for all to see.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
The decision comes just days after housing activists announced over the weekend that the number of tourist beds in Venice now outnumbers the number of residents, citing official city data.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
You see, all of our generals, when they get whipped, say the enemy outnumbers them from three or five to one, and I must believe them.
From Luke Walton by Horatio Alger
What else could she do, when her supporters are outnumbered by people who can’t make up their minds?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
That is a far cry from the pre-financial-crisis landscape: In 2007, assets in active equity funds outnumbered those in passive strategies by more than three to one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
There was one day this week when new highs only outnumbered new lows by one issues, but things have improved since then.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
This week, the population of 8,500 included 3,369 long-term prisoners, the first time they've outnumbered short-term prisoners.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
And for the first time in history, enormous steamships regularly crossing the world’s oceans outnumbered vessels propelled by sail.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Men account for 53 percent of players and women 46 percent, with women actually outnumbering men among Baby Boomers, the ESA said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
She added that the phenomenon of robots fighting robots was likely to become more common, with unmanned systems even outnumbering human soldiers.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
But the war in Iran, skyrocketing gas prices and other economic jitters are making homebuyers nervous, Redfin says, adding that it’s a buyer’s market, with sellers outnumbering buyers by more than 40%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Domestic chain Meiyijia has quietly blanketed neighborhoods across China, vastly outnumbering foreign rivals.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025
The fact to keep in mind is that in the 1950s “blacks” made up about 80 percent of the Jamaican population, outnumbering coloreds five to one.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
