verb · neutral
outnumber
UK/aʊtˈnʌmbə/US/aʊtˈnʌmbər/out·NUM·ber
to be greater in number than someone or something else
Examples
“By 2015, retirees outnumbered active workers in the town.”
“Women outnumber men two to one in the survey sample.”
“In rural areas, crops outnumber livestock in terms of acreage.”
Band 8 sentence
“In the sample, young adults outnumber older respondents by approximately two to one.”
Collocations
- outnumber by (ratio)
- vastly outnumber / slightly outnumber
Word family
Common mistakes
Women outnumbers men in the sample→Women outnumber men in the sample
They outnumbered by three to one→They outnumbered them by three to one / They are outnumbered by three to one
Say it for a higher band
5be more than→6exceed→7+outnumber
Synonyms
exceed
Easily confused
exceed
“The number of applicants exceeded the available positions.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Comparing proportions
Learn it with its set