Etymology From Middle English counten, borrowed from Anglo-Norman conter, from Old French conter (“add up; tell a story”), from Latin computō (“to compute”). In this sense, displaced native Old English tellan, whence Modern English tell. Doublet of compute. Compare typologically reckon, Russian счита́ть (sčitátʹ), счита́ться (sčitátʹsja); the semantic evolution to Mongolian санах (sanax).
The psychiatrist asked her to count down from a hundred by sevens.
2
To determine the number of (objects in a group).
Count the number of apples in the bag and write down the number on the spreadsheet.
The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted; The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President,[…]1803, Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution:
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How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.c. 1845–1846, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Sonnets from the Portuguese”, in Poems. […], new edition, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], published 1850, →OCLC, sonnet XLII, page 479:
3
To amount to, to number in total.
They counted thirty, crowded in a space Which left scarce room for motion or exertion; […]1819 July 15, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, canto II, stanza LXIII, page 150:
4
Figuratively To be of significance; to matter; to be considered (as something); to be included (of something).
Your views don’t count here.
It does count if you cheat with someone when you’re drunk.
5
Figuratively To be an example of something: often followed by as and an indefinite noun.
Apples count as a type of fruit.
This excellent man […] counted among the best and wisest of English statesmen.1886, John Addington Symonds, Sir Philip Sidney:
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Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too.[…]But as a foundation for analysis it is highly subjective: it rests on difficult decisions about what counts as a territory, what counts as output and how to value it. Indeed, economists are still tweaking it.2013 August 3, “Boundary problems”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” he asked.¶“Too many,” Kirk quipped. The crowd clapped and cheered.¶Five, the audience member claimed. “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” the man continued. Kirk leaned forward and picked up his mic before setting back into an upright position. “Counting or not counting gang violence?” he said.¶A loud “pop” suddenly rang out.¶Kirk lurched back and to the left. Blood splashed from his neck onto his white shirt.2025 September 12, Eric Levenson, “Charlie Kirk’s final hours: How a stage for debate became a scene of tragedy”, in CNN, archived from the original on 12 Sep 2025:
6
To consider something as an example of something or as having some quality; to account, to regard as.
He counts himself a hero after saving the cat from the river.
I count you as more than a friend.
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The entertainment we haue had of him, Is far from villanie or ſeruitude, And might in noble mindes be counted princely.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii:
7
To reckon in, to include in consideration.
They walked for three days, not counting the time spent resting.
8
Obsolete To take account or note (of), to care (for).
[…]to make her faire, that no man counts of her beauty.c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 23, column 2:
Etymology From Middle English counten, borrowed from Anglo-Norman conter, from Old French conter (“add up; tell a story”), from Latin computō (“to compute”). In this sense, displaced native Old English tellan, whence Modern English tell. Doublet of compute. Compare typologically reckon, Russian счита́ть (sčitátʹ), счита́ться (sčitátʹsja); the semantic evolution to Mongolian санах (sanax).
Give the chairs a quick count to check if we have enough.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of five.
2
The result of a tally that reveals the number of items in a set; a quantity counted.
By the official count, there are something like thirteen hundred species of birds in the Amazon, but Cohn-Haft thinks there are actually a good many more, because people have relied too much on features like size and plumage and not paid enough attention to sound.2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Picador, →ISBN, page 177:
3
A countdown.
4
Law A distinct and separate charge in an indictment or complaint.
Zou, who was living in Elephant and Castle, south-east London, was convicted of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offences relating to one victim. He was also convicted of three counts of voyeurism, 10 of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and three of possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence.2025 June 19, “Student who raped 10 women jailed for 24 years”, in bbc.com:
Anthony Williams (32), of Langford Road, Peterborough, was arrested and charged with ten counts of attempted murder, one count of ABH (Actual Bodily Harm), and one count of possession of a bladed article.2025 November 12, David Stubbings, “Knife attack: heroes hailed for saving lives”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 10:
5
Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The number of balls and strikes, respectively, on a batter's in-progress plate appearance.
He has a 3–2 count with the bases loaded.
6
Obsolete An object of interest or account; value; estimation.
When he was readie to his steede to mount / Vnto his way, which now was all his care and count.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 16:
Etymology From Middle English counten, borrowed from Anglo-Norman conter, from Old French conter (“add up; tell a story”), from Latin computō (“to compute”). In this sense, displaced native Old English tellan, whence Modern English tell. Doublet of compute. Compare typologically reckon, Russian счита́ть (sčitátʹ), счита́ться (sčitátʹsja); the semantic evolution to Mongolian санах (sanax).
For example, the term abuse would require at least one definition for the uncount usage ‘invective, insulting language’, and another for the count usage ‘an item of invective, an insult’.2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 118:
Etymology From Middle English counte, from Anglo-Norman conte and Old French comte (“count”), from Latin comes (“companion”) (more specifically derived from its accusative form comitem) in the sense of "noble fighting alongside the king". Doublet of comes, comte, and conte.
1
The male ruler of a county.
After his marriage, John made a progress through the country with his beautiful Elizabeth, and they purchased towns and villages and lands until he became master of nearly half Rügen, and a very considerable count in the country. His father, old James Dietrich, was made a noble-man, and his brothers and sisters gentlemen and ladies - for what cannot money do?1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 313:
2
A nobleman holding a rank intermediate between dukes and barons.
3
Biology, Entomology, Natural sciences Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Tanaecia. Other butterflies in this genus are called earls and viscounts.