nine

noun

1
: a number that is one more than eight see Table of Numbers
2
: the ninth in a set or series
wears a nine
3
: something having nine units or members: such as
a
capitalized : the nine Muses
b
: a baseball team
c
: the first or last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course
nine adjective
nine pronoun, plural in construction
Phrases
to the nines
1
: to perfection
2
: in a highly elaborate or showy manner
dressed to the nines

Examples of nine in a Sentence

The next card was the nine of diamonds. She wears a size nine. “What time is it?” “It's nine.” He woke up at nine this morning.
Recent Examples on the Web First-time patrons should know that people come dressed to the nines here, which isn’t always the case in Boston. Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 That said, our rear-drive ID.4 tester beat its German estimates by nearly a second, so the Buzz Cargo might see the mid-nines. Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 15 Mar. 2023 We especially like the return of first season Shoshanna (but dressed to the nines in Tanya Taylor rather than Zosia Mamet’s character’s ubiquitous tracksuits). Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, 7 Feb. 2020 Its playful video sees him dressed to the nines while romping through a pasture, being roped to a tree by sentient vines, and floating Lebowski-like over fields of rainbow flowers. Marcus Jones, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2020 The anchor people are usually in the studio, dressed to the nines. Carl Nolte, SFChronicle.com, 28 Mar. 2020 Had a season-high nine tackles and a sack against Chicago and recovered a fumble earlier in the season. David Moore, Dallas News, 6 Jan. 2020 Wilson ended his rookie season by leading Cleveland with a career-high nine tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 30 Dec. 2019 Owusu-Koramoah, who finished with a game-high nine tackles, recorded three of Notre Dame’s four total sacks. Tyler James, Indianapolis Star, 29 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from nyne, adjective, from Old English nigon; akin to Old High German niun nine, Latin novem, Greek ennea

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nine was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near nine

Cite this Entry

“Nine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nine. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nine

noun
1
: a number that is one more than eight see number
2
: the ninth in a set or series
3
: a baseball team
nine adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on nine

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