hundreds

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   The position or column in a number that shows how many groups of one hundred it contains.

   Grammar: Usually used in the phrase 'the hundreds place' or 'the hundreds digit'.

   Patterns

   • the hundreds place
   • the hundreds digit
   • in the hundreds

   In 428, the digit 4 is in the hundreds place.

   Write the number 305: the 3 is in the hundreds column.

   When you add 250 and 170, you need to carry over to the hundreds.

2. 2nounplural

   Large numbers of people or things, usually several hundred or more.

   Grammar: Often followed by 'of': hundreds of people.

   Patterns

   • hundreds of people
   • hundreds of thousands
   • in the hundreds

   Hundreds of fans waited outside the stadium.

   The charity received hundreds of donations.

   There are hundreds of different bird species in this region.

Common combinations

hundreds of people

Hundreds of people attended the free concert.

hundreds of thousands

The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

in the hundreds

The repair bill could be in the hundreds.

the hundreds place

The number 762 has 7 in the hundreds place.

Synonyms and how they differ

many

A general word for a large number; 'hundreds' suggests a more specific range around several hundred.

lots

Informal and vague; 'hundreds' is more precise and often used in writing.

Word family

hundred number

The number 100.

hundredth adjective

Coming after the 99th.

Commonly confused: hundreds or hundred?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hundreds”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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