1
b
figures plural
: arithmetical calculations
good at figures
c
: a written or printed character
e
figures plural
: digits representing an amount (as of money earned or points scored)
made six figures last year
a score in double figures
2
a
: a geometric form (such as a line, triangle, or sphere) especially when considered as a set of geometric elements (such as points) in space of a given number of dimensions
a square is a plane figure
b
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
a slender figure
c
: an object noticeable only as a shape or form
figures moving in the dusk
3
a
: the graphic representation of a form especially of a person or geometric entity
a figure of a girl with pigtails
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration of textual matter
figures that illustrate various moves in chess
4
: a person, thing, or action representative of another
Adam … who is the figure of him who was to come—
Romans 5:14 (King James Version)
Romans 5:14 (King James Version)5
a
: figure of speech
Find the similes and other figures in the poem.
b
: an intentional deviation from the ordinary form or syntactical relation of words
6
: the form of a syllogism with respect to the relative position of the middle term
7
: an often repetitive pattern or design in a manufactured article (such as cloth) or natural product (such as wood)
a polka-dot figure
8
: appearance made : impression produced
the couple cut quite a figure
9
a
: a series of movements in a dance
Bowing to your partner is one of the figures in square dancing.
b
: an outline representation of a form traced by a series of evolutions (as with skates on an ice surface or by an airplane in the air)
10
: a prominent personality : personage
great figures of history
11
: a short coherent group of notes or chords that may constitute part of a phrase, theme, or composition
figured; figuring
ˈfi-gyə-riŋ 
ˈfi-g(ə-)riŋ
1
: to represent by or as if by a figure or outline
2
: to decorate with a pattern
also
: to write figures over or under (the bass) in order to indicate the accompanying chords
3
: to indicate or represent by numerals
1
a
: to be or appear important or conspicuous
b
: to be involved or implicated
figured in a robbery
2
: to perform a figure in dancing
4
: to seem rational, normal, or expected
that figures
5
: to make sense of something
—used interjectionally in the phrase go figure to suggest that something is surprising or perplexing
why do they think women will buy this lie? Go figure—Ellen Bravo
Ellen BravoSynonyms
Examples of figure in a Sentence
Noun
Are you sure of your figures?
I came up with a very different figure.
No precise figures are available yet.
The company had yearly sales figures of half a million units.
We could barely make out some figures moving in the mist.
The vase is decorated with figures of birds and fish.
The walls of the cave are covered with drawings of human and animal figures.
a collection of bronze figures
Verb
“They lost.” “I figured as much.”
She figures to finish by noon.
The debate over tax rates figured prominently in the last election.
Recent Examples on the WebErin Carlson, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The 1 percent figure refers to direct funding, but a much larger percentage of its revenue comes from local public radio stations, which use federal funds to purchase programming produced by NPR.
—The Editors, National Review, 18 Apr. 2024
Women today are almost twice as likely to live alone in their early 20s relative to their 1950s counterparts and fewer live with a spouse or child, as shown in the figure below.
—TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Remote positions over six figures weren’t safe from RTO either, decreasing 33% over the same time period, while in-office opportunities rose by about 7%.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
But that figure jumped to 50% under the latest labor deal with the league.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
Larger than life, these figures are iconic heroes, and sometimes look the part.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
While immediate refunds don’t cost Tmall or the brands themselves logistics and shipping costs, the requests mean that initial sales figures are artificially inflated.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 17 Apr. 2024
Tabulated from a massive vote that had artists, industry figures, and critics weighing in, the list has been a source of conversation, inspiration, and controversy for two decades.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2024
Robert P. George, National Review, 18 Apr. 2024
At the time, Baker figured the company relied on such leases to accommodate students from nearby Marquette University.
—Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
But Galanis said students who haven’t been able to complete their FAFSAs by then won’t be left to figure the form out on their own.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Scarbrough said her daughter was still figuring things out, but was always willing to help others.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Just can’t seem to figure ways to put it all together right now unfortunately.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The Giants managed to beat Washington 7-1 Wednesday to avoid being swept by a team that figures to be one of the National League bottom feeders before taking a day off and playing a pair of three-game series in Tampa Bay and Miami that begins Friday afternoon.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
A little nauseous but otherwise not too bad and baby girl is trying to figure things out.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Everyone’s journey to embracing their sexuality is different — and Chappell Roan would just like to wish everyone the best of luck in figuring it out.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Not since Crazy Rich Asians ($239 million globally) has a studio rom-com breezed past that figure.
—Erin Carlson, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The 1 percent figure refers to direct funding, but a much larger percentage of its revenue comes from local public radio stations, which use federal funds to purchase programming produced by NPR.
—The Editors, National Review, 18 Apr. 2024
Women today are almost twice as likely to live alone in their early 20s relative to their 1950s counterparts and fewer live with a spouse or child, as shown in the figure below.
—TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Remote positions over six figures weren’t safe from RTO either, decreasing 33% over the same time period, while in-office opportunities rose by about 7%.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
But that figure jumped to 50% under the latest labor deal with the league.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
Larger than life, these figures are iconic heroes, and sometimes look the part.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
While immediate refunds don’t cost Tmall or the brands themselves logistics and shipping costs, the requests mean that initial sales figures are artificially inflated.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 17 Apr. 2024
Tabulated from a massive vote that had artists, industry figures, and critics weighing in, the list has been a source of conversation, inspiration, and controversy for two decades.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2024
Verb
So clear is our jurisprudential shift toward a pro-religion understanding of the First Amendment that the language of religious liberty has figured ...
—Robert P. George, National Review, 18 Apr. 2024
At the time, Baker figured the company relied on such leases to accommodate students from nearby Marquette University.
—Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
But Galanis said students who haven’t been able to complete their FAFSAs by then won’t be left to figure the form out on their own.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Scarbrough said her daughter was still figuring things out, but was always willing to help others.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Just can’t seem to figure ways to put it all together right now unfortunately.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The Giants managed to beat Washington 7-1 Wednesday to avoid being swept by a team that figures to be one of the National League bottom feeders before taking a day off and playing a pair of three-game series in Tampa Bay and Miami that begins Friday afternoon.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
A little nauseous but otherwise not too bad and baby girl is trying to figure things out.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Everyone’s journey to embracing their sexuality is different — and Chappell Roan would just like to wish everyone the best of luck in figuring it out.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'figure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near figure
Cite this Entry
“Figure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figure. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
figure
1 of 2 noun
fig·ure
ˈfig-yər
British and often US ˈfig-ər
1
2
a
: the shape or outline of something
b
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
3
a
: something that represents a form especially of a person
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration
c
: a combination of points, lines, or surfaces in geometry
a circle is a closed plane figure
figure
2 of 2 verb
figured; figuring
ˈfig-yə-riŋ
ˈfig(-ə)-
1
: to decorate with a pattern
2
: believe sense 5, decide
figured we might win
3
: to be or appear important
figure in the news
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