figure

fig|ure¹ W1S1 [ˈfıgə US ˈfıgjər] n

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1¦(number)¦

2¦(amount of money)¦

3¦(person)¦

4¦(woman's body)¦

5 father/mother/authority figure

6 figures

7¦(mathematical shape)¦

8¦(painting/model)¦

9¦(drawing)¦

10 put a figure on it/give an exact figure

11 a fine figure of a man/woman

12 a figure of fun

13¦(on ice)¦

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[Date: 1200-1300; : French; Origin: Latin figura, from fingere 'to shape, make']

1.) ¦(NUMBER)¦

a) [usually plural]

a number representing an amount, especially an official number

unemployment/sales/trade figures

▪ Ohio's employment figures for December

▪ Government figures underestimate the problem.

▪ It's about 30,000 in round figures (=to the nearest 10, 20, 100 etc) .

b) a number from 0 to 10, written as a sign rather than a word

▪ the figure '2'

▪ executives with salaries in six figures (=more than £99,000)

a four/five/six figure number

(=a number in the thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands etc)

→↑double figures, ↑single figures

2.) ¦(AMOUNT OF MONEY)¦

a particular amount of money

figure of

▪ an estimated figure of $200 million

3.) ¦(PERSON)¦

a) someone who is important or famous in some way

a leading/key/central figure

▪ Several leading figures resigned from the party.

▪ the outstanding political figure of his time

b) someone with a particular type of appearance or character, especially when they are far away or difficult to see

▪ a tall figure in a hat

▪ Through the window I could see the commanding figure of Mrs Bradshaw.

→cult figure at ↑cult²

4.) ¦(WOMAN'S BODY)¦

the shape of a woman's body

▪ She has a good figure .

keep/lose your figure

(=stay thin or become fat)

▪ Most women have to watch their figure (=be careful not to get fat) .

5.) father/mother/authority figure

someone who is considered to be like a father etc, or to represent authority, because of their character or behaviour

6.) figures [plural] BrE

the activity of adding, multiplying etc numbers

= ↑arithmetic

▪ a natural ability with figures

have a head for figures

(=be good at arithmetic)

7.) ¦(MATHEMATICAL SHAPE)¦

a ↑geometric shape

▪ A hexagon is a six-sided figure.

8.) ¦(PAINTING/MODEL)¦

a person in a painting or a model of a person

▪ the figure in the background

→↑figurine

9.) ¦(DRAWING)¦

written abbreviation fig.

a numbered drawing or a ↑diagram in a book

10.) put a figure on it/give an exact figure

to say exactly how much something is worth, or how much or how many of something you are talking about

▪ It's worth a lot but I couldn't put a figure on it.

11.) a fine figure of a man/woman

someone who is tall and has a good body

12.) a figure of fun

someone who people laugh at

13.) ¦(ON ICE)¦

a pattern or movement in ↑figure skating

figure ²

figure² W3S2 v

1.)

to be an important part of a process, event, or situation, or to be included in something

figure in/among

▪ Environmental issues figured prominently in the talks.

▪ My wishes didn't figure among his considerations.

▪ Reform now figures high on the agenda.

2.) [T] [i]informal

to form a particular opinion after thinking about a situation

figure (that)

▪ From the way he behaved, I figured that he was drunk.

▪ It was worth the trouble, I figured.

3.) that figures/(it) figures

spoken especially AmE

a) used to say that something that happens is expected or typical, especially something bad

▪ 'It rained the whole weekend.' 'Oh, that figures.'

b) used to say that something is reasonable or makes sense

▪ It figures that she'd be mad at you, after what you did.

4.) go figure

AmE spoken said to show that you think something is strange or difficult to explain

▪ 'He didn't even leave a message.' 'Go figure.'

5.) [T] AmE

to calculate an amount

▪ I'm just figuring my expenses.

figure on [figure on sth] phr v

to expect something or include it in your plans

▪ She was younger than any of us had figured on.

figure out [figure sb/sth<=>out] phr v

1.) to think about a problem or situation until you find the answer or understand what has happened

figure out how/what/why etc

▪ Can you figure out how to do it?

▪ If I have a map, I can figure it out.

▪ Don't worry, we'll figure something out (=find a way to solve the problem) .

2.) to understand why someone behaves in the way they do

▪ Women. I just can't figure them out.