British English

nine

[na͟ɪn]
 ♦
 nines
 1) NUM Nine is the number 9.
  We still sighted nine yachts.
  ...nine hundred pounds.
 2) PHRASE If you say that someone is dressed up to the nines or dressed to the nines, you mean that they are wearing very smart or elegant clothes. [INFORMAL]
 nine times out of ten → see time

eight

[e͟ɪt]
 ♦
 eights
 NUM
 Eight is the number 8.
  So far eight workers have been killed.

seven

[se̱v(ə)n]
 ♦
 sevens
 NUM
 Seven is the number 7.
  Sarah and Ella have been friends for seven years.

six

[sɪ̱ks]
 ♦
 sixes
 1) NUM Six is the number 6.
  ...a glorious career spanning more than six decades.
 2) N-COUNT: usu sing In cricket, if a player hits a six, they score six runs by hitting the ball so that it crosses the boundary at the edge of the playing area before it touches the ground.
 3) PHRASE: V inflects If someone or something is hit for six or knocked for six, they are very upset or badly affected by an experience or piece of news. [BRIT, INFORMAL]
  The loss of my wife hit me for six; it took me months to recover...
  Many areas in the North were knocked for six by that first recession.
 4) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If you say that someone or something is at sixes and sevens, you mean that they are confused or disorganized. [INFORMAL]
  The government is at sixes and sevens over the issue of domestic security.

five

[fa͟ɪv]
 ♦
 fives
 1) NUM Five is the number 5.
 2) N-UNCOUNT Fives is a British ball game in which you hit a small hard ball with a glove or bat against three walls of a court.
 3) → See also high five

four

[fɔ͟ː(r)]
 ♦
 fours
 1) NUM Four is the number 4.
  Judith is married with four children.
 2) N-COUNT In cricket, if a player hits a four, they score four runs by hitting the ball along the ground so that it crosses the boundary at the edge of the playing area.
  Taylor hit 13 fours and batted for 140 minutes.
 3) N-COUNT A four is a narrow racing boat that is rowed by a team of four people.
 4) PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR If you are on all fours, your knees, feet, and hands are on the ground.
  She crawled on all fours over to the window.

three

[θri͟ː]
 ♦
 threes
 NUM
 Three is the number 3.
  We waited three months before going back to see the specialist.

two

[tu͟ː]
 ♦
 twos
 1) NUM Two is the number 2.
 2) PHRASE If you say it takes two or it takes two to tango, you mean that a situation or argument involves two people and they are both therefore responsible for it.
  Divorce is never the fault of one partner; it takes two...
  It takes two to tango and so far our relationship has been one-sided.
 3) PHRASE: V inflects If you put two and two together, you work out the truth about something for yourself, by using the information that is available to you.
  Putting two and two together, I assume that this was the car he used.
 4) to kill two birds with one stone → see bird
 two a penny → see penny

one

[wʌ̱n]
 ♦
 ones
 1) NUM One is the number 1.
  They had three sons and one daughter.
  ...one thousand years ago...
  Scotland beat England one-nil at Wembley.
  ...one of the children killed in the crash.
 2) ADJ: det ADJ (emphasis) If you say that someone or something is the one person or thing of a particular kind, you are emphasizing that they are the only person or thing of that kind.
  They had alienated the one man who knew the business...
  His one regret is that he has never learned a language.
  Syn:
  only
 3) DET: DET sing-n (emphasis) One can be used instead of `a' to emphasize the following noun.
  There is one thing I would like to know - What is it about Tim that you find so irresistible?...
  One person I hate is Russ.
 4) DET: DET adj sing-n (emphasis) You can use one instead of `a' to emphasize the following adjective or expression. [INFORMAL]
  If we ever get married we'll have one terrific wedding...
  It's like one enormous street carnival here.
 5) DET: DET n-proper You can use one in front of someone's name to indicate that you have not met them or heard of them before. [FORMAL]
  It seems that the fifth man is one John Cairncross.
  Syn:
  a certain
 6) DET: DET sing-n You can use one to refer to the first of two or more things that you are comparing.
  Prices vary from one shop to another...
  The road hugs the coast for hundreds of miles, the South China Sea on one side, jungle on the other.
 ADJ: det ADJ
 One is also an adjective. We ask why peace should have an apparent chance in the one territory and not the other.
 PRON
 One is also a pronoun. The twins were dressed differently and one was thinner than the other.
 7) PRON You can use one or ones instead of a noun when it is clear what type of thing or person you are referring to and you are describing them or giving more information about them.
  They are selling their house to move to a smaller one...
  We test each one to see that it flies well.
 8) PRON You use ones to refer to people in general.
  We are the only ones who know.
 9) PRON: PRON of n, PRON that You can use one instead of a noun group when you have just mentioned something and you want to describe it or give more information about it.
  His response is one of anger and frustration...
  The issue of land reform was one that dominated Hungary's parliamentary elections.
 10) DET: DET sing-n You can use one when you have been talking or writing about a group of people or things and you want to say something about a particular member of the group.
  `A college degree isn't enough', said one honors student.
 PRON
 One is also a pronoun. Some of them couldn't eat a thing. One couldn't even drink.
 11) QUANT: QUANT of adj-superl You use one in expressions such as `one of the biggest airports' or `one of the most experienced players' to indicate that something or someone is bigger or more experienced than most other things or people of the same kind.
  Subaru is one of the smallest Japanese car makers.
 12) DET: DET sing-n You can use one when referring to a time in the past or in the future. For example, if you say that you did something one day, you mean that you did it on a day in the past.
 one day → see day
  How would you like to have dinner one night, just you and me?...
  Then one evening Harry phoned, asking me to come to their flat as soon as possible.
 13) PRON: with supp You can use one to refer to a question, joke, remark, or subject of discussion.
  This is a tricky one to answer...
  Have you heard the one about the Irishman, the Englishman and the American?...
  I told him I'd have to think about that one.
 14) PRON You can use one to refer to an alcoholic drink. [INFORMAL]
  Other members of the committee drifted in for a quick one before closing time.
 15) PRON You use one to make statements about people in general which also apply to themselves. One can be used as the subject or object of a sentence. [FORMAL]
  If one looks at the longer run, a lot of positive things are happening...
  Where does one go from there?...
  Shares and bonds can bring one quite a considerable additional income.
 16) PHRASE: PHR after v If a group of people does something as one, all the people do the same thing at the same time or in the same way. [WRITTEN]
  The 40,000 crowd rose as one.
 17) PHRASE: oft with brd-neg, v-link PHR n/-ing If you say that someone is one for or is a one for something, you mean that they like or approve of it or enjoy doing it.
  I'm not one for political discussions...
  She was a real one for flirting with the boys.
 18) PHRASE: PHR before v (emphasis) You can use for one to emphasize that a particular person is definitely reacting or behaving in a particular way, even if other people are not.
  I, for one, hope you don't get the job.
 19) PHRASE: usu PHR pl-n (emphasis) You can use expressions such as a hundred and one, a thousand and one, and a million and one to emphasize that you are talking about a large number of things or people.
  There are a hundred and one ways in which you can raise money.
 20) PHRASE: pl-n PHR, PHR after v You can use in one to indicate that something is a single unit, but is made up of several different parts or has several different functions.
  ...a love story and an adventure all in one...
  This cream moisturises and repairs in one.
 21) PHRASE: PHR with cl You can use in ones and twos to indicate that people do things or something happens gradually and in small groups.
  They lose interest and start drifting away in ones and twos.
 22) PHRASE: PHR with cl You use one after the other or one after another to say that actions or events happen with very little time between them.
  My three guitars broke one after the other...
  One after another, people described how hard it is for them to get medical care.
 23) PHRASE: PHR n-proper The one and only can be used in front of the name of an actor, singer, or other famous person when they are being introduced on a show.
  ...one of the greatest ever rock performers, the one and only Tina Turner.
 24) PHRASE: PHR with cl You can use one by one to indicate that people do things or that things happen in sequence, not all at the same time.
  We went into the room one by one...
  One by one the houses burst into flames.
 25) PHRASE: usu PHR of pl-n You use one or other to refer to one or more things or people in a group, when it does not matter which particular one or ones are thought of or chosen.
  One or other of the two women was wrong.
 26) PHRASE: oft PHR pl-n, PHR of pl-n One or two means a few.
  We may make one or two changes...
  I've also sold one or two to an American publisher...
  I asked one or two of the stallholders about it.
  Syn:
  a few
 27) PHRASE: PHR to-inf, usu v-link PHR If you say that someone is not one to do something, you think that it is very unlikely that they would do it because it is not their normal behaviour.
  I'm not one to waste time on just anyone.
 28) PHRASE: PHR n, usu v-link PHR, PHR after v If you try to get one up on someone, you try to gain an advantage over them.
  ...the competitive kind who will see this as the opportunity to be one up on you.

zero

[zɪ͟əroʊ]
 zeros, zeroes (plural & 3rd person present), zeroing, zeroed
 1) NUM Zero is the number 0.
  Visibility at the city's airport came down to zero, bringing air traffic to a standstill.
  ...a scale ranging from zero to seven.
  Syn:
  nought, nil
 2) N-UNCOUNT Zero is a temperature of 0°. It is freezing point on the Centigrade and Celsius scales, and 32° below freezing point on the Fahrenheit scale.
  It's a sunny late winter day, just a few degrees above zero...
  That night the mercury fell to thirty degrees below zero.
 3) ADJ You can use zero to say that there is none at all of the thing mentioned.
  This new ministry was being created with zero assets and zero liabilities.
  ...zero inflation...
  His chances are zero.