whole number
Americannoun
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Also called counting number. one of the positive integers or zero; any of the numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, …).
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(loosely) integer.
noun
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an integer
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a natural number
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A member of the set of positive integers and zero.
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A positive integer.
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An integer.
Etymology
Origin of whole number
First recorded in 1550–60
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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.
"I really hope this is a drama that suggests that Jamie is like this because of a whole number of complicated factors."
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2025
The 14th Amendment requires that congressional seats be distributed among the states “according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State.”
From Seattle Times • May 8, 2024
The moment magnitude scale is logarithmic — that is, each whole number of magnitude represents about a 30-fold increase in energy released.
From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2024
A spread with a whole number, say, 2 points, opens the opportunity for what’s called a “push” if the winning margin ties.
From Washington Times • Feb. 10, 2023
Positive numbers, negative numbers, and zero all give you nonnegative squares, and those three possibilities cover the whole number line.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
