how many

pronoun

unspecified number

“How many of you have full-time jobs?”

OriginOld English hū maniġ →
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Meanings

determiner
    pronoun
    1. unspecified number

      We've lost quite a few; I don't know exactly how many.

      4 more examples

      And I saw how many were destroying the simplicity, and betraying the truth.

      1800, George Fox, A Journal Or Historical Account of the Life, Travels, Sufferings, Christian Exsperiences, and Labour of Love, in the work of the Ministry

      Biff then stated, “Take how many you want, they're $700 a piece."

      2004, John P. Sutton, Thin White Lines, page 233

      I'll phone later and confirm how many I want.

      2012, Charlie Gardner, Rotten Timbers, →ISBN, page 143

      The sticks are now going around, and take how many you want.

      2016, L. James Dempsey, Blackfoot War Art: Pictographs of the Reservation Period, 1880–2000
    2. what number

      How many of you have full-time jobs?

      5 more examples

      I've invited three hundred people to my wedding. — You've invited how many?

      The message itself is neither difficult nor simple, but how many will realize this?

      2000, Glen C. Cutlip, How to Overcome Death: The Final Victory, →ISBN, page 61

      You know how many are in one group and how many are in another group.

      2005, David B. Spangler, Math for Real Kids, →ISBN

      How many will say I want to be a good example for my children?

      2010, Michael A. Curtis, Notes from My Journey, →ISBN, page 39

      How many people Earth can support depends in part on how many will wear cotton and how many polyester; on how many will eat meat and how many bean sprouts; on how many will want parks and how many will want parking lots.

      2011, Ian Angus, Simon Butler, Too Many People?, →ISBN

    Origin

    1. Old Englishhū maniġ
    2. Old Englishhū maniġ
    3. Englishhow many

    Inherited from Old English hū maniġ.

    More words from Old English

    Full word history & related roots →

    Translations

    Arabic كَمْ
    • كَمْ (kam)what number
    Dutch hoeveel
    • hoeveelwhat number
    Finnish montako, kuinka monta
    • montakounspecified number
    • kuinka montaunspecified number
    • kuinka montawhat number
    • montakowhat number
    French combien
    • combienwhat number
    German wieviel
    • wievielwhat number
    Hebrew כמה
    • כמהwhat number
    Hungarian valahány, akárhány
    • valahányunspecified number
    • akárhányunspecified number
    • ahány csakunspecified number
    • hánywhat number
    • hányanwhat number
    Italian quanto
    • quantowhat number
    Korean 몇, 몇
    • 몇 (myeot)unspecified number
    • 몇 (myeot)what number
    Malay berapa
    • berapawhat number
    Portuguese quanto
    • quantowhat number
    Russian сколько
    • сколько (skolʹko)what number
    Spanish cuanto
    • cuantowhat number
    Tagalog ilan
    • ilanwhat number
    Tamil எவ்வளவு, எத்தனை
    • எவ்வளவு (evvaḷavu)unspecified number
    • எத்தனை (ettaṉai)what number
    Turkish kaç
    • kaçwhat number
    Welsh faint, sawl un
    • faintunspecified number
    • sawl ununspecified number
    • faintwhat number
    • sawl unwhat number
    Cite this entry
    APA

    how many. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/how%20many

    MLA

    “how many.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/how%20many. Accessed November 4, 2026.

    Chicago

    WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “how many,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/how%20many.

    Source: how many on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.