Meaning & use
whole number
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Meanings
nouncountable
A number that has no fraction or decimal part, such as 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a whole number' or 'whole numbers'.
Patterns
- a whole number
- whole numbers
Seven is a whole number, but 7.5 is not.
The answer must be a whole number, so round up if necessary.
Children first learn to count using whole numbers.
nouncountabletechnicalmathematics
In mathematics, any of the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and so on, without negatives.
Grammar: Often used in the plural to refer to the set: 'the whole numbers'.
Patterns
- the whole numbers
In strict math, the whole numbers are 0, 1, 2, 3, …
Some textbooks include 0 in the whole numbers, others start at 1.
The set of whole numbers is infinite.
Word forms
| plural | whole numbers |
|---|
Common combinations
- positive whole number
- Choose a positive whole number between 1 and 10.
- nearest whole number
- Round the result to the nearest whole number.
- set of whole numbers
- The set of whole numbers includes zero.
Synonyms and how they differ
- integer
- Integer includes negative numbers too, while whole number usually does not.
Commonly confused: whole number or integer? whole number or natural number?
whole number vs integer
Integers include negative numbers like -3, but whole numbers do not.
whole number vs natural number
Natural numbers are the counting numbers 1, 2, 3, …; whole numbers may include 0.
Practice
Which of these is a whole number?
Choose one answer.
4 has no fraction or decimal part, so it is a whole number. 3.5 and 1/2 are not whole, and -2 is negative, so it is an integer but not a whole number in strict usage.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “whole number”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.