phrasal verb · neutral
run the numbers
UK/rʌn ðə ˈnʌmbəz/US/rʌn ðə ˈnʌmbərz/NUM·bers
task2speaking
to calculate, analyse figures, or do the necessary number-crunching
Examples
“Before we decide, we need to run the numbers to see if the project is viable.”
“The accountant ran the numbers and found the proposal was underfunded.”
“If you run the numbers, you'll see that saving a little each month adds up.”
Band 8 sentence
“Before approving the scheme, council members asked staff to run the numbers for the next five years.”
Collocations
- run the numbers on / for something
Word family
number nnumerical adj
Common mistakes
run numbers→run the numbers
run a numbers→run the numbers
Say it for a higher band
5calculate→6analyse the figures→7+run the numbers
Synonyms
calculate
Easily confused
calculate
“We need to calculate the total cost.”
Related words
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