INDEX:
1. to count numbers, objects etc in order to find the total
2. to calculate an amount or price
3. to say numbers in order
4. to add one number to another
5. to take one number away from another
6. to multiply one number by another
7. to divide one number by another
8. to calculate or count something wrongly
9. a calculation
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ AMOUNT
↑ NUMBER
↑ COST
↑ TOTAL
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1. to count numbers, objects etc in order to find the total
▷ count/count up /kaʊnt, ˌkaʊnt ˈʌp/ [transitive verb]
to find the total number of things or people in a group by counting them all :
▪ Katherine counted her money. There was almost $50 left.
▪ Count up the number of calories you have each day.
▪ Count the kids as they get on the bus and make sure they’re all here.
▷ add up also tot up British informal /ˌæd ˈʌp, ˌtɑt ˈʌpǁˌtɑːt-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to put several numbers or amounts together and calculate the total :
add up something
▪ When we added up the receipts we realized we had spent too much.
tot up something
▪ Just tot up the total and write it at the bottom.
add something up
▪ Five percent may not sound like much but it’s a lot of money when you add it all up.
tot something up
▪ Tot the whole lot up to make sure you’ll have enough money to pay.
▷ keep track also keep count especially British /ˌkiːp ˈtræk, ˌkiːp ˈkaʊnt/ [verb phrase]
to keep a record, either on paper or in your memory, of numbers or amounts that increase over a period of time, so that you always know what the total is :
▪ I don’t know what the score was. I wasn’t keeping count.
keep track of
▪ She was trying to keep count of how many stations they’d passed.
▪ He kept a notebook in the car to keep track of how much money he was spending on gas.
▷ keep a tally of /ˌkiːp ə ˈtæli ɒv/ [verb phrase] British
to keep a record of numbers that are to be added up, for example by writing or marking them on paper :
▪ Steve kept a tally of the days he spent in prison by scratching marks on the wall.
▪ The plastic rings help the sales assistants to keep a tally of the number of garments customers have taken into the changing rooms.
▷ at the last count British /at last count American /ət ðə ˌlɑːst ˈkaʊnt, ət ˌlɑːst ˈkaʊntǁ-ˌlæst-/ [adverb]
if there is a particular total at the last count, this is what the total was the last time anyone checked :
▪ At the last count, only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.
▪ There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count.
2. to calculate an amount or price
▷ calculate /ˈkælkjɑleɪt/ [transitive verb]
to find out how much something will cost, how long something will take etc by using numbers :
▪ Their accountant calculated the total cost of the project.
calculate how much/how many/how far etc
▪ I began calculating how long it would take to get to the airport if I left at 4:00.
calculate that
▪ Sally calculated that she needed $300 to pay all her bills.
calculation /ˌkælkjɑˈleɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a process by which you calculate a total, price, time etc: :
▪ NASA calculations put the cost of the space program at $118 billion.
▷ work out also figure out American /ˌwɜːʳk ˈaʊt, ˌfɪgər ˈaʊtǁˌfɪgjər-/ [transitive phrasal verb] especially spoken
to calculate an answer, amount, price, or value :
work/figure out something
▪ I always use a calculator to work out percentages.
▪ Has anyone been able to figure out the answer to number seven?
work/figure something out
▪ ‘How much do I owe you?’ ‘I haven’t worked it out yet.’
work out how much/how many/how far etc
▪ We need to work out how much food we’ll need to take with us.
▪ I spent all of last night trying to figure out how much this wedding is going to cost me.
▷ make /meɪk/ [transitive verb not in passive] British informal
to calculate a particular total :
make it 250/20 kilos/$50 etc
▪ ‘How much do I owe you for the meal?’ ‘I make it $10.50.’
▪ Will you count these figures again? I make the total 248, but Chris made it 249.
▷ figure /ˈfɪgəʳǁˈfɪgjər/ [transitive verb] American
to calculate an amount :
▪ He needs to sit down and figure out how many people are coming.
▪ There has been criticism about the current method for figuring social security retirement benefits.
▷ estimate /ˈestɪmeɪt, ˈestəmeɪt/ [transitive verb]
to guess an amount, price, or number as exactly as you can :
▪ Analysts estimate the business earned about $135 million last year.
estimate that
▪ The police department estimates that the number of violent crimes will increase this year by about 15%.
estimate something to be something
▪ At that point, the public sector deficit was estimated to be around £45 billion.
estimate something at something
▪ Industry sources estimate the value of the ranch at $7 million.
estimate how much/how many/how far etc
▪ Our staff will help you estimate how much fabric you will require.
▷ assess /əˈses/ [transitive verb]
to calculate what the value or cost of something is, especially before buying it or selling it :
▪ This computer program will assess how much is spent on each student within the school.
▪ I took the ring to a jeweller to have its value assessed.
assess something at something
▪ The total value of the paintings is assessed at $20 million.
3. to say numbers in order
▷ count /kaʊnt/ [intransitive verb]
▪ Most children know how to count by the time they start kindergarten.
count to 3/10/20 etc
▪ Shut your eyes, count to twenty, then come and find us.
▷ countdown /ˈkaʊntdaʊn/ [singular noun]
when seconds are counted backwards to show how much time is left until something happens, especially when a rocket is sent into space :
▪ NASA has stopped the countdown for the space shuttle mission because of technical problems.
4. to add one number to another
▷ add /æd/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to put two or more numbers together and calculate the answer :
add something and something
▪ If you add 11 and 31, you get 42.
add something to something
▪ Add 10% to the total.
addition /əˈdɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when you add a number
▷ plus /plʌs/ [preposition] spoken
use plus between numbers or amounts to show that you are adding one to another. :
▪ Twelve plus eight is twenty.
▪ The cost is £45 plus £5 for delivery.
▷ add up to /ˌæd ˈʌp tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if amounts add up to a total, they are that total when added together :
▪ Just 200 extra calories each day add up to one-half pound of extra body fat each week.
▪ The three angles of a triangle always add up to 180 degrees.
5. to take one number away from another
▷ take/take away /teɪk, ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ [transitive verb/transitive phrasal verb] especially spoken
to take one number from another and calculate the answer :
take something (away) from
▪ If you take 37 from 94 you get 57.
▪ Take 19 away from 48 and then add 15.
▷ subtract /səbˈtrækt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to take one number from another and calculate the answer :
▪ To convert the temperature into Celsius, subtract 32, then multiply by 5 and divide by 9.
subtract something from something
▪ Subtract 12 from 32.
subtraction /səbˈtrækʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when you subtract a number
▷ minus /ˈmaɪnəs/ [preposition]
use minus between numbers or amounts to show that you are taking one figure from another :
▪ 30 minus 5 leaves 25.
▪ Here’s the twenty dollars I owe you, minus seven dollars for the movie.
▷ deduct /dɪˈdʌkt/ [transitive verb]
to take away an amount of money, points etc from a total, especially when following official rules or an official system :
▪ Marks may be deducted for illegible handwriting.
deduct something from something
▪ Your employer will deduct income tax from your salary.
▪ Your monthly repayments will be deducted from the total amount that you owe.
6. to multiply one number by another
▷ multiply /ˈmʌltɪplaɪ, ˈmʌltəplaɪ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to add a number to itself a particular number of times :
multiply something by something
▪ If you multiply ten by seven you get seventy.
multiply by
▪ To find the price in yen, you multiply by 86.
multiplied by
▪ 11 multiplied by 10 is 110.
multiplication /ˌmʌltɪpləˈkeɪʃ ə n, ˌmʌltəpləˈkeɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when you multiply a number
▷ times /taɪmz/ [preposition] spoken
use times between numbers or amounts to show that you are multiplying one figure by another :
▪ Five times six equals thirty.
▪ What is eight times twelve?
7. to divide one number by another
▷ divide /dɪˈvaɪd, dəˈvaɪd/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to divide one number by another, usually smaller, number :
divide by
▪ It is easier to divide by 10 than by 12.
divide something by something
▪ If you divide twenty by four, you get five.
divided by
▪ 36 divided by 2 is 18.
division /dɪˈvɪʒ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when you divide a number
▷ go into /ˌgəʊ ˈɪntuː/ [transitive phrasal verb not in progressive or passive]
if one number goes into a larger number a particular number of times, the larger number can be divided that many times by the smaller number :
▪ 13 goes into 78 six times.
▪ How many times will nine go into eighty-one?
8. to calculate or count something wrongly
▷ miscalculate /ˌmɪsˈkælkjɑleɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ We have too many chairs. I must have miscalculated.
▪ The city miscalculated the cost of earthquake repairs for the Bay Bridge.
miscalculate how much/how many/how long etc
▪ Sorry we’re late -- we miscalculated how long it would take to get here.
▷ miscount /ˌmɪsˈkaʊnt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to count something wrongly :
▪ I thought everyone was here, but I must have miscounted.
miscount something
▪ Census Bureau officials announced that they miscounted the nation’s official population by 5 million people.
▷ lose count /ˌluːz ˈkaʊnt/ [verb phrase]
to forget how many things or people you have already counted, when you are counting a lot of things over a long period :
▪ I’ve been trying to keep a record of how many tickets we’ve sold, but I’ve lost count.
▷ overestimate /ˌəʊvərˈestɪmeɪt, ˌəʊvərˈestəmeɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to wrongly guess an amount, price or number by making the total too high :
▪ I made enough food for forty people but it looks like I overestimated.
▪ A Harvard University survey found that Americans significantly overestimate the cost of higher education.
▷ underestimate /ˌʌndərˈestɪmeɪt, ˌʌndərˈestəmeɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to wrongly guess an amount, price, or number by making it too low :
▪ We saved about $1000 for our trip but we underestimated and may have to wait until next year to go.
▪ Early mapmakers often underestimated the earth’s circumference.
9. a calculation
▷ calculation /ˌkælkjɑˈleɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
▪ This type of calculation would take several hours without a computer.
▪ According to our calculations, 2000 jobs will be lost.
do/make a calculation
▪ Mickey sat at the kitchen table doing calculations on a scratch pad.
▪ Once all the necessary calculations have been made the experiment can proceed.
▷ sum /sʌm/ [countable noun] especially British
a simple calculation, especially one done by children as an exercise in school :
▪ It’ll be quicker if I use a calculator for these sums.
▪ We had to do some really hard sums today.
▷ estimate /ˈestɪmət, ˈestəmət/ [countable noun]
what you think the number, price, or value of something probably is, after calculating it quickly :
▪ I’m allowing $300, but that’s only an estimate.
estimate of
▪ Officials said Huntcor’s estimate of building costs was about $3 million more than expected.
rough estimate
not exact but good enough to be useful
▪ This proposal represents a rough estimate of the cost of materials and labor.
conservative estimate
an estimate that is probably too low, so you can be sure that the true amount will not be less than this
▪ The paintings have been valued at $3.5 million, which is probably a conservative estimate.
▷ estimated /ˈestɪmeɪtəd, ˈestəmeɪtəd/ [adjective only before noun]
an estimated number/cost/value etc
a number, cost etc that is not exact but has been roughly calculated :
▪ The tunnel is being constructed at an estimated cost of £15 million.
▪ An estimated 1 million Irish people died from starvation and disease during the Famine.