HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
v. count·ed, count·ing, counts v.tr. 1. a. To name or list (the units of a group or collection) one by one in order to determine a total; number. b. To recite numerals in ascending order up to and including: count three before firing. c. To include in a reckoning; take account of: ten dogs, counting the puppies. 2. Informal a. To include by or as if by counting: Count me in. b. To exclude by or as if by counting: Count me out. 3. To believe or consider to be; deem: Count yourself lucky. v.intr. 1. To recite or list numbers in order or enumerate items by units or groups: counted by tens. 2. a. To have importance: You really count with me. b. To have a specified importance or value: Their opinions count for little. Each basket counts for two points. 3. Music To keep time by counting beats. n. Phrasal Verbs: 1. The act of counting or calculating. 2. a. A number reached by counting. b. The totality of specific items in a particular sample: a white blood cell count. 3. Law Any of the separate and distinct charges or causes of action in an indictment or complaint. 4. Sports The counting from one to ten seconds, during which time a boxer who has been knocked down must rise or be declared the loser. 5. Baseball The number of balls and strikes that an umpire has called against a batter. count down To recite numerals in descending order, as during a countdown. count off To recite numbers in turn, as when dividing people or things into groups : The 24 children counted off by twos, forming a dozen pairs. count on 1. To rely on; depend on: You can count on my help. 2. To be confident of; anticipate: counted on getting a raise. count out Idiom: To declare (a boxer) to have been knocked out by calling out the count. count heads/noses To make a count of members, attendees, or participants. [Middle English counten, from Old French conter, from Latin computāre, to calculate : com-, com- + putāre, to think; see pau-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. 1. A nobleman in some European countries. 2. Used as a title for such a nobleman. [Middle English counte, from Old French conte, from Late Latin comes, comit-, occupant of any state office, from Latin, companion; see ei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
