counted; counting; counts
1
a
: to indicate or name by units or groups so as to find the total number of units involved : number
Count the pages of the manuscript.
b
: to name the numbers in order up to and including
Count ten.
c
: to include in a tallying and reckoning
about 100 present, counting children
d
: to call aloud (beats or time units)
Count cadence.
Count the eighth notes.
2
3
: to include or exclude by or as if by counting
Count me in.
1
a
: to recite or indicate the numbers in order by units or groups
count by fives
b
: to count the units in a group
She was interrupted while she was counting.
2
: to rely or depend on someone or something
—used with on
He counted on his parents to help with the expenses.
4
a
: to have value or significance
These are the people who really count.
His opinions don't count for much.
b
: to deserve to be regarded or considered
a job so easy it hardly counts as work
see also count out
plural counts
2
3
a
: allegation, charge
specifically
: one separately stating the cause of action or prosecution in a legal declaration or indictment
guilty on all counts
b
: a specific point under consideration : issue
disagreeing on this count
4
: the total number of individual things in a given unit or sample obtained by counting all or a subsample of them
bacteria count
5
a
: the calling off of the seconds from one to ten when a boxer has been knocked down
He took a count of nine before getting up.
see also down for the count, take the count
b
: the number of balls and strikes charged to a baseball batter during one turn
The count stood at 3 and 2.
c
: score
tied the count with a minute to play
6
a
: a measurement of the thickness or fineness of yarn by determining the number of hanks or yards per pound it produces
b
: the number of threads per square inch in a cloth
: a European nobleman whose rank corresponds to that of a British earl
Examples of count in a Sentence
Verb
Count the plates on the table.
She made sure to count her change.
Count how many fingers I am holding up.
He counted seven deer in the field.
There are 10 days left until the end of school, counting from today.
Keep counting until there are no more left to count.
Don't interrupt me. I'm counting.
Can your daughter count yet?
There will be 150 people at the wedding, not counting children.
Noun (1)
my count for the number of bird species and subspecies that visited the sanctuary that weekend was 43
she's been charged with two counts of larceny
Recent Examples on the Web
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2025
Among the remaining kids, some are not eligible; other families take advantage of different care options, such as Head Start or free pre-K, which are run separately and not counted as part of the child-care-voucher program.
—Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
The jury, however, deadlocked on charges against co-defendant Brandt Osborn, 45, who was facing two counts of being an accessory after the fact.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for count
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Dallas could have won back-to-back games but left looking like a team that can’t count on its offense bailing out the defense on a weekly basis.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2025
Among the remaining kids, some are not eligible; other families take advantage of different care options, such as Head Start or free pre-K, which are run separately and not counted as part of the child-care-voucher program.
—Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
Just as the two-time Cy Young award winner Snell appeared to settled into the game despite a rising pitch count, the seventh inning is when things collapsed.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
The jury, however, deadlocked on charges against co-defendant Brandt Osborn, 45, who was facing two counts of being an accessory after the fact.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for count
Cite this Entry
“Count.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/count. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
count
1 of 3 verb1
a
: to add one by one so as to find the total number of a group of things
count the apples in a box
b
: to name the consecutive numbers up to and including
count ten
c
: to recite the numbers one by one or by groups
count to one hundred by fives
d
: to include in a tally
forty present, counting children
2
a
: consider sense 3
count myself lucky
b
: to include or leave out by or as if by counting
count me in
count me out
3
a
: to have value or importance
every vote counts
b
: to deserve to be regarded or considered
a job so easy it hardly counts as work
countable
adjective
-ə-bəl
count
2 of 3 noun1
a
: the act or process of counting
b
: a total obtained by counting : tally
2
: a charge of wrongdoing
especially
: a separate item in a legal accusation
guilty on all counts
3
: the number of balls and strikes charged to a baseball batter during one turn
count
3 of 3 noun
: a European nobleman whose rank is equal to that of a British earl
Etymology
Verb
Middle English counten "to add one by one," from early French counter (same meaning), derived from Latin computare "to count, compute" — related to account, compute
Noun
from early French cunte "nobleman," derived from Latin comes "companion, member of a royal court," literally, "one who goes with another," from com- "with" and -es, a form of ire "to go" — related to county, itinerary
Medical Definition
count
1 of 2 transitive verb
: to indicate or name by units or groups so as to find the total number of units involved
count
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the action or process of counting
b
: a total obtained by counting
2
: the total number of individual things in a given unit or sample (as of blood) obtained by counting all or a subsample of them see addis count, blood count, cell count, red blood count, white count
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share