outnumber
Americanverb (used with object)
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outnumbers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
outnumbered,
past participle, past
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outnumbering
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
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
-
outnumberedsimple
-
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:
Considering that young conservative men outnumber young conservative women, one would think it shouldn’t be so hard to find a Mr. Right who is also Mr. Right Wing.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
In parts of China, where men far outnumber women, this has become a significant financial burden.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Ex-smokers now outnumber the country’s 27 million smokers two to one, according to an American Lung Association analysis of federal health data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Immigrant advocates hope to have a more vocal champion in Becerra, the favorite to become governor in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The gray and white hairs far outnumber the black ones, but there’s no denying his eyebrows look a lot like mine.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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
“Phew, that outnumbers our army considerably!” thought Dick.
From The Dare Boys of 1776 by Stephen Angus Cox
For instance, 2026 is the first year that workers’ negative discussions about AI outnumbered the positive ones on the job-search site Glassdoor.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Recalling what it was like to meet the group for the first time, Gordon said he was "completely outnumbered" by the nans from Cardiff.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But they were outnumbered by panelists who voted yes, with those members citing reasons including "the greater good" and "medical freedom" for their decisions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
"There may already be a few early arriving fans present, representing the initial amount of lithium in the stellar atmosphere, but they are quickly outnumbered."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Omar began to protest, but he was outnumbered.
From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince
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
Domestic chain Meiyijia has quietly blanketed neighborhoods across China, vastly outnumbering foreign rivals.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025
They are outnumbering Ukraine’s unmanned aerial vehicles in key sections of the front, while using improved tactics that are testing Ukraine’s ability to keep its front-line defenders supplied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
These groups of identical "clonal" cells then expand, eventually outnumbering their neighbors.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2025
The thing had been plastered on every blank space on every wall, even outnumbering the portraits of Big Brother.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
