Number vs Tell - What's the difference?
number | tell | Synonyms |
(countable) An abstract entity used to describe quantity.
(countable) A numeral: a symbol for a non-negative integer
(countable, mathematics) A member of one of several classes: natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers, quaternions.
Indicating the position of something in a list or sequence. Abbreviations: No'' or '' (in each case, sometimes written with a superscript "o", like Nº or №). The symbol "#" is also used in this manner.
Quantity.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= * Francis Bacon
A sequence of digits and letters used to register people, automobiles, and various other items.
(countable, informal) A telephone number.
* 2001 , E. Forrest Hein, The Ruach Project, Xulon Press, page 86:
* 2007 , Lindsey Nicole Isham, No Sex in the City: One Virgin's Confessions on Love, Lust, Dating, and Waiting, Kregel Publications, page 111:
(grammar) Of a word or phrase, the state of being singular, dual or plural, shown by inflection.
(now, rare, in the plural) Poetic metres; verses, rhymes.
* 1635 , (John Donne), The Triple Foole :
(countable) A performance; especially, a single song or song and dance routine within a larger show.
(countable, informal) A person
* 1968 , Janet Burroway, The dancer from the dance: a novel, Little, Brown, page 40:
* 1988 , Erica Jong, Serenissima, Dell, page 214:
* 2005 , Denise A. Agnew, Kate Hill & Arianna Hart, By Honor Bound, Ellora's Cave Publishing, page 207:
(countable, informal) An item of clothing, particularly a stylish one
* 2007 , Cesca Martin, Agony Angel: So You Think You've Got Problems..., Troubador Publishing Ltd, page 134:
* 2007 , Lorelei James, Running with the Devil, Samhain Publishing, Ltd, page 46:
(slang, chiefly, US) A marijuana cigarette, or joint; also, a quantity of marijuana bought form a dealer.
* 2009 , (Thomas Pynchon), Inherent Vice , Vintage 2010, page 12:
(dated) An issue of a periodical publication.
To label (items) with numbers; to assign numbers to (items).
To total or count; to amount to.
(numb)
(lb) To count, reckon, or enumerate.
:
*1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , II.vii:
*:And in his lap a masse of coyne he told , / And turned vpsidowne, to feede his eye / A couetous desire with his huge threasury.
*1875 , Hugh MacMillan, The Sunday Magazine :
*:Only He who made them can tell the number of the stars, and mark the place of each in the order of the one great dominant spiral.
(lb) To narrate.
:
*, chapter=7
, title= (lb) To convey by speech; to say.
:
*, chapter=4
, title= (lb) To instruct or inform.
:
*Bible, (w) xii. 18
*:Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud,
(lb) To order; to direct, to say to someone.
:
*(Charles Dickens) (1812-1870)
*:He told her not to be frightened.
*'>citation
*:Stability was restored, but once the re-entry propulsion was activated, the crew was told to prepare to come home before the end of their only day in orbit.
(lb) To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.
:
*
*:Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.
(lb) To reveal.
:
(lb) To be revealed.
*1990 , (Stephen Coonts), Under Siege, 1991 (Pocket Books) edition, ISBN 0671742949, p.409:
*:Cherry looks old, Mergenthaler told himself. His age is telling . Querulous — that's the word. He's become a whining, querulous old man absorbed with trivialities.
(lb) To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.
:
*1859 (John Stuart Mill), (On Liberty)
*:Opinion ought [… to give] merited honour to every one, whatever opinion he may holdkeeping nothing back which tells', or can be supposed to ' tell , in their favour.
*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 18, author=Ben Dirs, work=BBC Sport
, title= A reflexive, often habitual behavior, (especially) one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
That which is told; tale; account.
* Walpole
(internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.
(archaeology) A mound, originally in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.
Number is a synonym of tell.
As nouns the difference between number and tell
is that number is (countable) an abstract entity used to describe quantity while tell is a reflexive, often habitual behavior, (especially) one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold or tell can be (archaeology) a mound, originally in the middle east, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.As verbs the difference between number and tell
is that number is to label (items) with numbers; to assign numbers to (items) while tell is (lb) to count, reckon, or enumerate.As an adjective number
is (numb).number
English
Alternative forms
* (l) (obsolete)Etymology 1
(etyl) .Noun
(en noun)The new masters and commanders, passage=From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.
- Number itself importeth not much in armies where the people are of weak courage.
- “[...] I wonder if you could get hold of him and have him call me here at Interior. I’m in my office, do you have my number ?”
- When I agreed to go surfing with him he said, “Great, can I have your number'?” Well, I don’t give my ' number to guys I don’t know.
- Griefe brought to numbers cannot be so fierce, / For, he tames it, that fetters it in verse.
- I laughed. "Don't doubt that. She's a saucy little number ."
- "Signorina Jessica," says the maid, a saucy little number , "your father has gone to his prayers and demands that you come to the synagogue at once [...]"
- He had to focus on the mission, staying alive and getting out, not on the sexy number rubbing up against him.
- The trouble was I was wearing my backless glittering number from the night before underneath, so unless I could persuade the office it was National Fancy Dress Day I was doomed to sweat profusely in bottle blue.
- "I doubt the sexy number you wore earlier tonight fell from the sky."
- Back at his place again, Doc rolled a number , put on a late movie, found an old T-shirt, and sat tearing it up into short strips
- the latest number of a magazine
Synonyms
* (mathematical number) scalarHyponyms
* See alsoDerived terms
* abundant number * algebraic number * binary number * cardinal number * complex number * decimal number * deficient number * do a number on * have someone's number * hexadecimal number * house number * hyperreal number * hypercomplex number * imaginary number * irrational number * meandric number * natural number * nice round number * number-cruncher * number-crunching * number field * number line * number one * number two * number theory * numberless * ordinal number * opposite number * perfect number * phone number * prime number * rational number * real number * round number * serial number * surreal number * take a number * telephone number * transcendental number * transfinite number * whole number * without number * (number)See also
* (grammatical numbers) singular,? dual,? trial,? quadral,? paucal,? pluralVerb
(en verb)- Number the baskets so that we can find them easily.
- I don’t know how many books are in the library, but they must number in the thousands.
Derived terms
* number amongSee also
*Etymology 2
From numb + .Adjective
(head)tell
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) ((etyl) telja). More at tale.Verb
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=“
Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.}}
Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia, passage=But England's superior fitness told in the second half, with Delon Armitage, Manu Tuilagi and Chris Ashton (two) going over for tries to secure a bonus-point win.}}
Synonyms
* (enumerate) count * (narrate) narrate, recount, relateAntonyms
* (to instruct or inform) askDerived terms
* all told * tell against * tell all * tell-all * tell off * tell on * tell-tale / telltale * tell tales * tell tales out of school * tellerNoun
(en noun)- I am at the end of my tell .