Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take a number

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.44 in modern English

Syllables: take a num-ber
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To queue; to wait to be served by being assigned a number and waiting for that number to be called after all previous numbers have been served in order of assignment.

verb

To recognize that many others are in the same situation; to recognize that one's concerns are not of high priority; to be prepared to wait.

Example Sentences

"Wanna buy a television network? Take a number. A few years ago you would have had the field to yourself."
"Even if they did decide to prosecute, the Justice Department would have to take a number and stand in a very long line."

Inflected Forms

takes a number (present, singular) taking a number (participle, present) took a number (past) taken a number (participle, past)

Phrases

take a back seat take a seat

Frequently Paired Words

take a back seat take a seat

Questions

What does take a number mean?: To queue; to wait to be served by being assigned a number and waiting for that number to be called after all previous numbers have been served in order of assignment.

How to pronounce take a number

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “take a number”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “take a number”.
Repeat and practice — Say “take a number” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.