fig|ment /f I gmənt/ (figments ) PHRASE If you say that something is a figment of someone's imagination , you mean that it does not really exist and that they are just imagining it. □ The attack wasn't just a figment of my imagination.
fig|ura|tive /f I gərət I v, [AM ] -gjər-/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you use a word or expression in a figurative sense, you use it with a more abstract or imaginative meaning than its ordinary literal one. □ …an event that will change your route–in both the literal and figurative sense. ● fig|ura|tive|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Europe, with Germany literally and figuratively at its centre, is still at the start of a remarkable transformation.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Figurative art is a style of art in which people and things are shown in a realistic way. □ His career spanned some 50 years and encompassed both abstract and figurative painting.
fig|ure ◆◆◆ /f I gə r , [AM ] -gjər/ (figures , figuring , figured )
1 N‑COUNT A figure is a particular amount expressed as a number, especially a statistic. □ We need a true figure of how many people in this country haven't got a job. □ It will not be long before the inflation figure starts to fall. □ Government figures suggest that two thirds of adults are obese or overweight.
2 N‑COUNT A figure is any of the ten written symbols from 0 to 9 that are used to represent a number.
3 N‑PLURAL An amount or number that is in single figures is between zero and nine. An amount or number that is in double figures is between ten and ninety-nine. You can also say, for example, that an amount or number is in three figures when it is between one hundred and nine hundred and ninety-nine. □ Inflation, which has usually been in single figures, is running at more than 12%. □ Crawley, with 14, was the only other player to reach double figures.
4 N‑COUNT You refer to someone that you can see as a figure when you cannot see them clearly or when you are describing them. □ She waited, standing on the bridge, until his figure vanished against the grey backdrop of the Palace.
5 N‑COUNT In art, a figure is a person in a drawing or a painting, or a statue of a person. □ …a life-size bronze figure of a brooding, hooded woman.
6 N‑COUNT Your figure is the shape of your body. □ Take pride in your health and your figure. □ Janet was a natural blonde with a good figure.
7 N‑COUNT Someone who is referred to as a figure of a particular kind is a person who is well-known and important in some way. □ The movement is supported by key figures in the three main political parties.
8 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] If you say that someone is, for example, a mother figure or a hero figure , you mean that other people regard them as the type of person stated or suggested. □ Sometimes young lads just need to turn to a mother figure for a bit of a chat and reassurance.
9 N‑COUNT In books and magazines, the diagrams which help to show or explain information are referred to as figures . □ If you look at a world map (see Figure 1) you can identify the major wine-producing regions.
10 N‑COUNT In geometry, a figure is a shape, especially a regular shape. [TECHNICAL ] □ Draw a pentagon, a regular five-sided figure.
11 VERB If you figure that something is the case, you think or guess that it is the case. [INFORMAL ] □ [V that] She figured that both she and Ned had learned a lot from the experience.
12 VERB If you say ' That figures ' or ' It figures ', you mean that the fact referred to is not surprising. [INFORMAL ] □ [V ] When I finished, he said, 'Yeah. That figures'.
13 VERB [no passive] If a person or thing figures in something, they appear in or are included in it. □ [V + in ] Human rights violations figured prominently in the report. [Also V + as ]
▸ figure on PHRASAL VERB If you figure on something, you plan that it will happen or assume that it will happen when making your plans. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P n/v-ing] Jack worked hard to build his business, but he hadn't figured on so many obstacles.
▸ figure out PHRASAL VERB If you figure out a solution to a problem or the reason for something, you succeed in solving it or understanding it. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P wh] It took them about one month to figure out how to start the equipment. □ [V P n] They're trying to figure out the politics of this whole situation. □ [V n P , V P that] I don't have to be a detective to figure that out. SYNONYMS figure NOUN
2
digit: Her phone number differs from mine by one digit.
number: We were only one number away from winning the jackpot.
numeraclass="underline" …a flat, square wristwatch with classic Roman numerals.
4
outline: He could see only the hazy outline of the goalposts.
form: …the form of the body.
silhouette: …the distinctive silhouette of his ears.
-figure COMB [ADJ n] -figure combines with a number, usually 'five', 'six', or 'seven', to form adjectives which say how many figures are in a number. These adjectives usually describe a large amount of money. For example, a six-figure sum is between 100,000 and 999,999. □ Columbia Pictures paid him a six-figure sum for the film rights.
fi g|ure ei ght (figure eights ) N‑COUNT A figure eight is the same as a figure of eight . [AM ]
figure|head /f I gə r hed, [AM ] -gjə r -/ (figureheads )
1 N‑COUNT If someone is the figurehead of an organization or movement, they are recognized as being its leader, although they have little real power. □ The President will be little more than a figurehead.