outnumber

verb

out·​num·​ber ˌau̇t-ˈnəm-bər How to pronounce outnumber (audio)
outnumbered; outnumbering; outnumbers

transitive verb

: to exceed in number

Examples of outnumber in a Sentence

With 20 girls and 10 boys in the class, girls outnumber boys by 2 to 1.
Recent Examples on the Web California Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1, and the state’s voters haven’t sent a Republican to the Senate in 35 years. David Daley, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Data suggests that the number of Americans harmed in the course of treatment remains high, with incidents of medical error in the U.S. outnumbering those in peer countries, despite more money being spent per capita on health care. Johanna Richlin, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2024 Brave officers are outnumbered and cannot properly police these marches, which therefore continue to infect our public discourse. Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2024 Garvey faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge in a state where no Republican has won a statewide race since 2006 and where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 margin. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 As the Ukrainians took casualties they became increasingly outnumbered by the Russians assaulting the city, who broke through at two strategic points and quickly seeded areas with fighters. Oleksandr Chubko Lynsey Addario, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The latter explains why Microsoft’s MSFT -0.1% mistakes while Bill Gates ran the company vastly outnumbered the correct speculations about what was ahead. John Tamny, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Because Democrats outnumber Republicans by such a wide margin in California, a Democrat who ends up with a Republican opponent in a statewide general election starts out with a huge edge. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The flies far outnumbered the two live and one dead roaches, although that one dead roach did mar a clean cutting board. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of outnumber was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near outnumber

Cite this Entry

“Outnumber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outnumber. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

outnumber

verb
out·​num·​ber (ˈ)au̇t-ˈnəm-bər How to pronounce outnumber (audio)
: to be more than in number
girls outnumber boys in the class

More from Merriam-Webster on outnumber

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!