figure
1 of 2noun
fig·ure ˈfi-gyər 
British and often US ˈfi-gər
1
a
: a number symbol : numeral, digit
b
figures plural : arithmetical calculations
good at figures
c
: a written or printed character
d
: value especially as expressed in numbers : sum, price
sold at a low figure
e
figures plural : digits representing an amount (as of money earned or points scored)
made six figures last year
a score in double figures
2
a
: a geometric form (such as a line, triangle, or sphere) especially when considered as a set of geometric elements (such as points) in space of a given number of dimensions
a square is a plane figure
b
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
a slender figure
c
: an object noticeable only as a shape or form
figures moving in the dusk
3
a
: the graphic representation of a form especially of a person or geometric entity
a figure of a girl with pigtails
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration of textual matter
figures that illustrate various moves in chess
4
: a person, thing, or action representative of another
Adam … who is the figure of him who was to come—
Romans 5:14 (King James Version)
Romans 5:14 (King James Version)5
a
: figure of speech
Find the similes and other figures in the poem.
b
: an intentional deviation from the ordinary form or syntactical relation of words
6
: the form of a syllogism with respect to the relative position of the middle term
7
: an often repetitive pattern or design in a manufactured article (such as cloth) or natural product (such as wood)
a polka-dot figure
8
: appearance made : impression produced
the couple cut quite a figure
9
a
: a series of movements in a dance
Bowing to your partner is one of the figures in square dancing.
b
: an outline representation of a form traced by a series of evolutions (as with skates on an ice surface or by an airplane in the air)
10
: a prominent personality : personage
great figures of history
11
: a short coherent group of notes or chords that may constitute part of a phrase, theme, or composition
figure
2 of 2verb
figured; figuring ˈfi-gyə-riŋ
ˈfi-g(ə-)riŋ
transitive verb
1
: to represent by or as if by a figure or outline
2
: to decorate with a pattern
also : to write figures over or under (the bass) in order to indicate the accompanying chords
3
: to indicate or represent by numerals
4
a
: calculate
b
: conclude, decide
figured there was no use in further effort
also : assume
figure it will rain
c
: regard, consider
d
: to appear likely
figures to win
intransitive verb
1
a
: to be or appear important or conspicuous
b
: to be involved or implicated
figured in a robbery
2
: to perform a figure in dancing
3
: compute, calculate
4
: to seem rational, normal, or expected
that figures
5
: to make sense of something —used interjectionally in the phrase go figure to suggest that something is surprising or perplexing
why do they think women will buy this lie? Go figure—Ellen Bravo
Ellen Bravo figurer
ˈfi-g(y)ər-ər
noun 
Synonyms
Noun
- digit
- integer
- number
- numeral
- numeric
- whole number
Verb
- choose
- conclude
- decide
- determine
- name
- opt
- resolve
- settle (on or upon)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Are you sure of your figures? I came up with a very different figure. No precise figures are available yet. The company had yearly sales figures of half a million units. We could barely make out some figures moving in the mist. The vase is decorated with figures of birds and fish. The walls of the cave are covered with drawings of human and animal figures. a collection of bronze figures Verb “They lost.” “I figured as much.” She figures to finish by noon. The debate over tax rates figured prominently in the last election. See More
Recent Examples on the WebVictoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2023 The government’s seasonal adjustment process also likely helped boost January’s figure. —Christopher Rugaber, ajc, 15 Feb. 2023 That's not to say multinational companies are hurting; the quarter’s current figure would be slightly below the 5 year average of 11.4%. —Charley Grant, WSJ, 15 Feb. 2023 The figure represents a 56 percent increase compared with the previous year — a bigger rise than for any other hate crime, although officials said the spike could be explained by better reporting rates. —Leo Sands, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2023 Dylan might be picking fights right off the bat by placing such a figure, the antithesis to the disorderly energies of rock and roll, near the foreground of his Philosophy. —Gene Seymour, The New Republic, 15 Feb. 2023 The government’s seasonal adjustment process also likely helped boost January’s figure. —Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2023 The South Florida security firm is also accused in another plot to assassinate a political figure, President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora of Bolivia, about a year before Mr. Moïse’s murder. —Nick Madigan, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2023 Tucker paired his prodigious offensive season with a Gold Glove and 5.2 wins above replacement, a figure higher than all but four fellow AL outfielders. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 14 Feb. 2023 Dallas News, 1 Feb. 2023 The outage will surely figure prominently in hearings and debates in Congress because the F.A.A.’s most recent authorization, passed in 2018, expires this year. —Mark Walker, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2023 The farm and cars figure prominently in his future, as does joining his parents -- both in their 90s -- on regular fishing trips, Jegley said. —John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 3 Jan. 2023 In the absence of any new releases, hits collections figure prominently on the latest survey, published Friday, Dec. 30. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2023 Dingoes figure prominently in the Indigenous culture and mythology of Australians, but dingoes or their ancestors are not marsupials, like every other large-bodied mammal endemic to Australia. —Pat Shipman, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2022 Unnamed Indigenous people figure prominently in market scenes and as symbolic devices in murals; Rivera’s more formal, named portraits, meanwhile, depict a fair-skinned international elite. —Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2022 The complaint doesn’t contain much in the way of internal e-mails or communications, which often figure prominently in white-collar criminal prosecutions. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2022 That conclusion may figure prominently in cases involving ransom letters, suicide notes and forged documents. —Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2022 See More
Noun
The other side has a face of a Christ-like figure wearing a crown of thorns. —Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2023 The government’s seasonal adjustment process also likely helped boost January’s figure. —Christopher Rugaber, ajc, 15 Feb. 2023 That's not to say multinational companies are hurting; the quarter’s current figure would be slightly below the 5 year average of 11.4%. —Charley Grant, WSJ, 15 Feb. 2023 The figure represents a 56 percent increase compared with the previous year — a bigger rise than for any other hate crime, although officials said the spike could be explained by better reporting rates. —Leo Sands, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2023 Dylan might be picking fights right off the bat by placing such a figure, the antithesis to the disorderly energies of rock and roll, near the foreground of his Philosophy. —Gene Seymour, The New Republic, 15 Feb. 2023 The government’s seasonal adjustment process also likely helped boost January’s figure. —Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2023 The South Florida security firm is also accused in another plot to assassinate a political figure, President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora of Bolivia, about a year before Mr. Moïse’s murder. —Nick Madigan, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2023 Tucker paired his prodigious offensive season with a Gold Glove and 5.2 wins above replacement, a figure higher than all but four fellow AL outfielders. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 14 Feb. 2023 Verb
Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, Exploring or Venturing, the BSA’s programs are designed to help kids figure things out in a safe environment under the direction of a parent, Scout leader or peer. —Dallas News, 1 Feb. 2023 The outage will surely figure prominently in hearings and debates in Congress because the F.A.A.’s most recent authorization, passed in 2018, expires this year. —Mark Walker, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2023 The farm and cars figure prominently in his future, as does joining his parents -- both in their 90s -- on regular fishing trips, Jegley said. —John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 3 Jan. 2023 In the absence of any new releases, hits collections figure prominently on the latest survey, published Friday, Dec. 30. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2023 Dingoes figure prominently in the Indigenous culture and mythology of Australians, but dingoes or their ancestors are not marsupials, like every other large-bodied mammal endemic to Australia. —Pat Shipman, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2022 Unnamed Indigenous people figure prominently in market scenes and as symbolic devices in murals; Rivera’s more formal, named portraits, meanwhile, depict a fair-skinned international elite. —Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2022 The complaint doesn’t contain much in the way of internal e-mails or communications, which often figure prominently in white-collar criminal prosecutions. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2022 That conclusion may figure prominently in cases involving ransom letters, suicide notes and forged documents. —Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, "shape, form, likeness, symbol, design, written character," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin figūra "shape, form, outward appearance, likeness, nonliteral form of speech," from fig-, variant stem of fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be" + -ūra -ure — more at feign
Verb
Middle English figuren "to shape, represent symbolically, prefigure," borrowed from Anglo-French figurer, borrowed from Latin figūrāre "to shape, form, make a likeness of, represent," verbal derivative of figūra "shape, figure entry 1"
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing figure
Kids Definition
figure
1 of 2 noun fig·ure ˈfig-yər
British and often US ˈfig-ər
1
a
: numeral sense 1
b
plural : arithmetic sense 2
a good head for figures
c
: price entry 1 sense 1
2
a
: the shape or outline of something
b
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
3
a
: something that represents a form especially of a person
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration
c
: a combination of points, lines, or surfaces in geometry
a circle is a closed plane figure
4
: pattern entry 1 sense 3, design
5
: personality sense 4, personage
figure
2 of 2 verb figured; figuring ˈfig-yə-riŋ
ˈfig(-ə)-
1
: to decorate with a pattern
2
: believe sense 5, decide
figured we might win
3
: to be or appear important
figure in the news
4
: compute, calculate
figurer
-(y)ər-ər
noun Medical Definition
figure
noun fig·ure
ˈfig-yər, British & often US ˈfig-ər
1
: bodily shape or form especially of a person
a slender figure
2
a
: the graphic representation of a form especially of a person
b
: a diagram or pictorial illustration of textual matter
3
: a person who is representative of or serves as a psychological substitute for someone or something else see father figure
figure 1 of 2
noun
1
as in number
a character used to represent a mathematical value no doubt the figures on the price tags at the jewelry store are so small because the zeroes are so many Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- number
- digit
- symbol
- numeral
- numeric
- fraction
- integer
- decimal
- whole number
- cipher
2
as in outline
a line that traces the outer limits of an object or surface we could gradually see the figure of a ship coming our way through the fog Synonyms & Similar Words
- outline
- silhouette
- contour
- shape
- sketch
- skeleton
- geometry
- profile
- framework
- configuration
- form
- cast
- delineation
- skyline
- conformation
3
as in celebrity
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about figures from the worlds of sport and entertainment will be guests at the White House dinner Synonyms & Similar Words
- celebrity
- star
- personality
- somebody
- personage
- superstar
- notable
- hero
- name
- dignitary
- cause célèbre
- light
- celeb
- notoriety
- icon
- luminary
- standout
- megastar
- cause celebre
- notability
- idol
- monument
- ikon
- worthy
- favorite
- pillar
- heartthrob
- eminence
- big shot
- immortal
- VIP
- demigod
- panjandrum
- baron
- bigwig
- magnate
- mogul
- nabob
- kahuna
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- nobody
- noncelebrity
- lightweight
- mediocrity
- has-been
4
as in figurine
a small statue painted wooden figures by untrained artists can be quite valuable on today's antiques market Synonyms & Similar Words
- figurine
- sculpture
- doll
- statuette
- carving
- model
- figurehead
- bust
- hand puppet
- dolly
- puppet
- mannequin
- marionette
- dummy
- form
- manikin
- mannikin
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- colossus
5
as in doll
a three-dimensional representation of the human body used especially for displaying clothes the museum features a collection of figures strikingly attired in suits of medieval armor Synonyms & Similar Words
- doll
- mannequin
- dummy
- form
- mannikin
- manikin
6
as in motif
a unit of decoration that is repeated all over something (as a fabric) upholstered the chair with a fabric embossed with figures of fleur-de-lis Synonyms & Similar Words
- motif
- pattern
- design
- motive
- ornament
- scheme
- trim
- decoration
- adornment
- device
- caparison
- embellishment
- garnish
- frill
7
as in diagram
something that visually explains or decorates a text the layout editor could have done a better job of getting the figures on the same page as the specific portion of text that they are intended to illustrate Synonyms & Similar Words
- diagram
- illustration
- graphic
- drawing
- picture
- image
- visual
- plate
- depiction
- portrait
- caption
- representation
- artwork
- art
- explanation
- inset
- portrayal
- key
- pictogram
- pictograph
- illumination
- legend
- clarification
- elucidation
- pictorialization
- exposition
- explication
8
as in price
the amount of money that is demanded as payment for something a number of the paintings at the auction sold at figures far higher than had been estimated Synonyms & Similar Words
- price
- cost
- fee
- rate
- price tag
- charge
- freight
- value
- bill
- damage
- ante
- valuation
- market value
- discount
- deduction
- list price
- reduction
- sale
- unit price
- check
- price point
- service charge
- tariff
- asking price
- invoice
- sticker price
- service fee
- carrying charge
- tab
- account
- overcharge
- down payment
- deposit
- markdown
- fair market value
- surcharge
9
as in shape
the outward appearance of something as distinguished from its substance the ice sculpture at the banquet was in the figure of an eagle spreading its wings Synonyms & Similar Words
- shape
- form
- outline
- geometry
- silhouette
- fashion
- configuration
- plan
- contour
- cast
- frame
- skeleton
- design
- framework
- shell
- profile
- pattern
- conformation
- organization
- arrangement
- setup
- layout
- format
- makeup
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- material
- matter
- stuff
- composition
- substance
- raw material
10
as in physique
the type of body that a person has Martha has such a slender figure that just about anything looks good on her Synonyms & Similar Words
- shape
- physique
- frame
- build
- form
- habit
- structure
- anatomy
- constitution
11
as in figuring
figures plural the act or process of performing mathematical operations to find a value a person with a good head for figures Synonyms & Similar Words
- figuring
- calculation
- numbers
- math
- computation
- measurement
- arithmetic
- mathematics
- reckoning
- multiplication
- calculus
- number crunching
- ciphering
- valuation
- addition
- assessment
- subtraction
- estimation
- evaluation
- appraisal
- calibration
- division
- mensuration
12
as in look
the outward form of someone or something especially as indicative of a quality unshaven and dirty, he presents a sorry figure Synonyms & Similar Words
- look
- attitude
- appearance
- presence
- manner
- dress
- demeanor
- aspect
- garb
- shape
- posture
- pose
- outside
- person
- regard
- mien
- behavior
- bearing
- stance
- deportment
- poise
- turn
- cut of one's jib
- mold
- features
- face
- air
- carriage
- comportment
- visage
- coloring
- cast
- habit
- physiognomy
- countenance
- color
- complexion
- habitus
- superficies
figure
2 of 2verb
1
as in to decide
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration we figured that we had better arrive early at the concert in order to get good seats Synonyms & Similar Words
- decide
- choose
- find
- opt
- determine
- resolve
- rule
- conclude
- name
- settle (on or upon)
- pick
- select
- elect
- prefer
- study
- decree
- cull
- contemplate
- ponder
- judge
- adjudicate
- debate
- weigh
- question
- deliberate
- adjudge
- meditate
- ruminate
- arbitrate
- consider
- referee
- chew over
- cogitate
- umpire
- handpick
- entertain
- mull (over)
- rule (on)
- single (out)
- think (about or over)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- refuse
- decline
- turn down
- reject
- hesitate
- delay
- abstain
- stall
- temporize
- vacillate
- halt
- waver
- waffle
- shilly-shally
2
as in to estimate
to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement let's figure the juice in the pan to be about a cup and just add it to the mix Synonyms & Similar Words
- estimate
- guess
- calculate
- suppose
- make
- gauge
- put
- judge
- reckon
- place
- understand
- gage
- reason
- call
- conjecture
- conclude
- deduce
- extrapolate
- infer
- gather
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- measure
- scale
- compute
- calibrate
- work out
3
as in to calculate
to determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations the car dealer figured that our monthly car payment would be $357 Synonyms & Similar Words
- calculate
- estimate
- compute
- measure
- cipher
- sum
- assess
- add
- reckon
- work out
- evaluate
- scale
- count
- subtract
- average
- divide
- figure out
- gauge
- multiply
- tally
- total
- figure in
- deduct
- number
- add up
- totalize
- rate
- gage
- value
- calibrate
- itemize
- appraise
- recalculate
- factor (in or into or out)
- refigure
- recompute
- solve (for)
- allow (for)
4
as in to think
to have as an opinion the father figures that girls should have the same athletic opportunities as boys and supports his daughter's interest in soccer Synonyms & Similar Words
- think
- believe
- guess
- imagine
- consider
- suppose
- feel
- judge
- deem
- assume
- reckon
- conceive
- perceive
- view
- esteem
- hold
- regard
- accept
- allow
- trust
- surmise
- presume
- deduce
- depend
- conclude
- rely
- infer
- presuppose
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- suspect
- question
- doubt
- distrust
- reject
- discredit
- mistrust
- disbelieve
Phrases Containing figure
- imaginaries
- imaginarily
- imaginariness
- imaginarinesses
- imaginary
- imaginary number
- imaginary part
- imaginary unit
- imagination
- imaginational
- imaginations
- imaginative
- imaginatively
- imaginativeness
- imaginativenesses
- imaginator
- imagine
- imagine that
- imagined
- imaginer
- imaginers
- imagines
- imaging
- imagings
- imagining