Meaning & use

number line

noun·Academic

A straight line on which numbers are marked at equal intervals, used to show their order and value.

See it in a sentence

The teacher used a number line to show students how to add negative numbers.

Plotting the fractions on a number line made it easy to compare their sizes.

A note on using this word

A number line typically extends in both directions from zero, with positives to the right and negatives to the left.

Words with a similar meaning

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