3 VERB If you counsel people, you give them advice about their problems. □ [V n] …a psychologist who counsels people with eating disorders. □ [V n + on ] Crawford counsels her on all aspects of her career. [Also V on n]
4 N‑COUNT Someone's counsel is the lawyer who gives them advice on a legal case and speaks on their behalf in court. □ Singleton's counsel said after the trial that he would appeal.
coun|sel|ling /kaʊ nsəl I ŋ/ in AM, use counseling N‑UNCOUNT Counselling is advice which a therapist or other expert gives to someone about a particular problem.
coun|sel|lor /kaʊ nsələ r / (counsellors ) in AM, use counselor N‑COUNT A counsellor is a person whose job is to give advice to people who need it, especially advice on their personal problems.
count ◆◆◇ /kaʊ nt/ (counts , counting , counted )
1 VERB When you count , you say all the numbers one after another up to a particular number. □ [V ] He was counting slowly under his breath. □ [V + to ] Brian counted to twenty and lifted his binoculars.
2 VERB If you count all the things in a group, you add them up in order to find how many there are. □ [V n] I counted the money. It was more than five hundred pounds. □ [V num] I counted 34 wild goats grazing. □ [V -ed] With more than 90 percent of the votes counted, the Liberals should win nearly a third of the seats. [Also V ] ● PHRASAL VERB Count up means the same as count . □ [V P n] Couldn't we just count up our ballots and bring them to the courthouse? [Also V n P ] ● count|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The counting of votes is proceeding smoothly.
3 N‑COUNT A count is the action of counting a particular set of things, or the number that you get when you have counted them. □ The final count in last month's referendum showed 56.7 per cent in favour.
4 N‑COUNT [n N ] You use count when referring to the level or amount of something that someone or something has. □ He cut his daily calorie count from 3,000 to 2,000.
5 → see also blood count , pollen count
6 N‑SING You use count in expressions such as a count of three or a count of ten when you are measuring a length of time by counting slowly up to a certain number. □ [+ of ] Hold your breath for a count of five, then slowly breathe out.
7 VERB If something or someone counts for something or counts , they are important or valuable. □ [V ] It doesn't matter where charities get their money from: what counts is what they do with it. □ [V + for ] When I first came to college I realised that brainpower didn't count for much.
8 VERB If something counts or is counted as a particular thing, it is regarded as being that thing, especially in particular circumstances or under particular rules. □ [V + as ] No one agrees on what counts as a desert. □ [V ] When you were a child, your wishes didn't always count. □ [V n + as ] They can count it as a success. [Also V n n/adj]
9 VERB If you count something when you are making a calculation, you include it in that calculation. □ [V n] Statistics don't count the people who aren't qualified to be in the work force. □ [be V -ed + as ] The years before their arrival in prison are not counted as part of their sentence. [Also V n + as ]
10 N‑COUNT You can use count to refer to one or more points that you are considering. For example, if someone is wrong on two counts , they are wrong in two ways. □ 'You drink Scotch,' she said. 'All Republicans drink Scotch.'—'Wrong on both counts. I'm a Democrat, and I drink bourbon.'
11 N‑COUNT In law, a count is one of a number of charges brought against someone in court. □ [+ of ] He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder.
12 PHRASE If you keep count of a number of things, you note or keep a record of how many have occurred. If you lose count of a number of things, you cannot remember how many have occurred. □ [+ of ] He struggles to keep count of the number of flights he takes yearly. □ [+ of ] She'd lost count of the interviews she'd been called for.
13 PHRASE If someone is out for the count , they are unconscious or very deeply asleep. [INFORMAL ]
14 PHRASE If you say that someone should stand up and be counted , you mean that they should say publicly what they think, and not hide it or be ashamed of it. □ Those involved and benefiting from the scandal must be prepared to stand up and be counted.
15 to count your blessings → see blessing
▸ count against PHRASAL VERB If something counts against you, it may cause you to be rejected or punished, or cause people to have a lower opinion of you. □ [V P n] He is highly regarded, but his youth might count against him.
▸ count in PHRASAL VERB [usu imper] If you tell someone to count you in , you mean that you want to be included in an activity. □ [V n P ] She shrugged. 'You can count me in, I guess.'
▸ count on or count upon
1 PHRASAL VERB If you count on something or count upon it, you expect it to happen and include it in your plans. □ [V P n/v-ing] The government thought it could count on the support of the trades unions.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you count on someone or count upon them, you rely on them to support you or help you. □ [V P n] Don't count on Lillian. □ [V P n to-inf] I can always count on you to cheer me up.