Outnumbers

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To possess a larger count in comparison to another set or group
2. To exceed in numerical strength over another entity or collection
3. To be greater in total count than another group or amount

Etymology: "Outnumbers" is simply the third-person singular present form of "outnumber", so the history belongs to the verb. The word is a plain compound: "out-" joined to "number". The "out-" element comes from Old English "ūt", meaning outside or beyond, and it has long been used to form verbs meaning to surpass or go beyond someone in some quality. Attaching it to "number" gives the sense of exceeding another group in count. The "number" half has a longer and more tangled path. It passed into English through Middle English "nombre", which was borrowed from Anglo-Norman "noumbre" and ultimately from Latin "numerus". The Latin word traces back through Proto-Italic to an older Indo-European root meaning to take or distribute, which is why counting and allotting once sat so close together in meaning.

Synonyms: surpasses, exceeds, outweighs, overwhelms, overpowers

Antonyms: is outnumbered, falls short, loses, underperforms, lags behind