"figure" meaning in English

See figure in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈfɪgjɚ/ [US], /ˈfɪgə/ [UK], /ˈfɪɡɚ/ [Canada] Audio: en-us-figure.ogg [US] Forms: figure [singular], figures [plural]
Head templates: {{noun}} [POS TABLE]
  1. Figures are numbers showing the value or amount of something.
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-noun-tIfR4tOu
  2. A figure is a person, often a well-known person.
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-noun-aTJDtW61
  3. A figure is a person, especially the person's shape. Synonyms: silhouette
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-noun-doaebNTH
  4. A figure is a geometric shape.
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-noun-AuJKDlPi
  5. A figure is a picture in a textbook or scientific journal. (Often written fig.)
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-noun-DghqegjS

Verb

IPA: /ˈfɪgjɚ/ [US], /ˈfɪgə/ [UK], /ˈfɪɡɚ/ [Canada] Audio: en-us-figure.ogg [US] Forms: figure [canonical], figures [third-person, singular], figured [past], figured [past, participle], figuring [present, participle]
Head templates: {{verb|figur|e}} [POS TABLE]
  1. If x figures in something that happens, x is part of that happening.
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-verb-pkWGN8ze Categories (other): Verbs
  2. If you figure that something is true, you think that it is true.
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-verb-61xUlt6v Categories (other): Verbs
  3. If you figure something out, you think about it until you understand it.
    Sense id: simple-figure-en-verb-6HkCfXpp
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "figure",
      "tags": [
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figures",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": "fig‧ure",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The sales figures from the spring were down from last year."
        },
        {
          "text": "According to the official figures, unemployment levels are about 6 per cent."
        },
        {
          "text": "You only have to look at the figures for fire deaths in hotels to see this is not a problem."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Figures are numbers showing the value or amount of something."
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-noun-tIfR4tOu",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "They have published articles about many leading figures including John Reed, J.A. Hobson, Tom Mann, and Daniel de Leon."
        },
        {
          "text": "The figure of Margaret Thatcher towers over the Falklands War."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a person, often a well-known person."
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-noun-aTJDtW61",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "She did not see the figure standing in the shadows of the kitchen doorway."
        },
        {
          "text": "Across the river is the figure of Lenin on top of an armored car carved of stone."
        },
        {
          "text": "Her girlish figure had disappeared as she aged, sat more, and ate more."
        },
        {
          "text": "The most popular boy's toy ever is the G.I. Joe action figure."
        },
        {
          "text": "He looked down at the wet figures of the boy and dog."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a person, especially the person's shape."
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-noun-doaebNTH",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "silhouette"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a geometric shape."
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-noun-AuJKDlPi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a picture in a textbook or scientific journal. (Often written fig.)"
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-noun-DghqegjS",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgjɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgə/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪɡɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-figure.ogg",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Audio"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "figure"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "figure",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figures",
      "tags": [
        "third-person",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figured",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figured",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "participle"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figuring",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "figur",
        "2": "e"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": "fig‧ure",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Verbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The weather figured prominently in their plans."
        },
        {
          "text": "The fact that he wouldn't be there didn't figure among her worries."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If x figures in something that happens, x is part of that happening."
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-verb-pkWGN8ze",
      "raw_tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Verbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Few people figured that he would win."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you figure that something is true, you think that it is true."
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-verb-61xUlt6v",
      "raw_tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He figured out that she was speaking Italian."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you figure something out, you think about it until you understand it."
      ],
      "id": "simple-figure-en-verb-6HkCfXpp",
      "raw_tags": [
        "transitive & intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgjɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgə/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪɡɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-figure.ogg",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Audio"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "figure"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "figure",
      "tags": [
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figures",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": "fig‧ure",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The sales figures from the spring were down from last year."
        },
        {
          "text": "According to the official figures, unemployment levels are about 6 per cent."
        },
        {
          "text": "You only have to look at the figures for fire deaths in hotels to see this is not a problem."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Figures are numbers showing the value or amount of something."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "They have published articles about many leading figures including John Reed, J.A. Hobson, Tom Mann, and Daniel de Leon."
        },
        {
          "text": "The figure of Margaret Thatcher towers over the Falklands War."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a person, often a well-known person."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "She did not see the figure standing in the shadows of the kitchen doorway."
        },
        {
          "text": "Across the river is the figure of Lenin on top of an armored car carved of stone."
        },
        {
          "text": "Her girlish figure had disappeared as she aged, sat more, and ate more."
        },
        {
          "text": "The most popular boy's toy ever is the G.I. Joe action figure."
        },
        {
          "text": "He looked down at the wet figures of the boy and dog."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a person, especially the person's shape."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "silhouette"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a geometric shape."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A figure is a picture in a textbook or scientific journal. (Often written fig.)"
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgjɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgə/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪɡɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-figure.ogg",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Audio"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "figure"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "figure",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figures",
      "tags": [
        "third-person",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figured",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figured",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "participle"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "figuring",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "figur",
        "2": "e"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": "fig‧ure",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Intransitive verbs",
        "Verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The weather figured prominently in their plans."
        },
        {
          "text": "The fact that he wouldn't be there didn't figure among her worries."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If x figures in something that happens, x is part of that happening."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Intransitive verbs",
        "Verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Few people figured that he would win."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you figure that something is true, you think that it is true."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Intransitive verbs",
        "Transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He figured out that she was speaking Italian."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you figure something out, you think about it until you understand it."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "transitive & intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgjɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪgə/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfɪɡɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-figure.ogg",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Audio"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "figure"
}

Download raw JSONL data for figure meaning in English (3.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-04-02 from the simplewiktionary dump dated 2025-03-21 using wiktextract (db8a5a5 and fb63907). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.