VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

your days are numbered

phrase·Advanced

Last updated

UK/jɔː deɪz ə ˈnʌmbəd/
US/jɔːr deɪz ər ˈnʌmbərd/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiomfigurative

    You will not stay in your job, position or life much longer, because the end is near.

    Grammar: The possessive changes with the subject: his days are numbered.

    Patterns

    • someone's days are numbered

    After the third failed project, the manager knew his days were numbered.

    If the club keeps losing, the coach's days are numbered.

    The editor told them that, unless sales improved, their days were numbered.

  2. phraseidiom

    Something will soon stop existing or being used, because it is being replaced.

    Grammar: Can be used about things as well as people: the old system's days are numbered.

    Patterns

    • something's days are numbered

    With electric cars on the rise, the petrol engine's days are numbered.

    The old bridge is unsafe, and its days are numbered.

    Paper tickets are disappearing, and their days seem numbered.

  3. phraseidiominformal

    A warning, often given as a threat, that someone will soon be defeated or punished.

    Grammar: Often said to an enemy: your days are numbered.

    Patterns

    • your days are numbered

    The villain growled, Your days are numbered, detective.

    The gang leader heard that the police said his days were numbered.

    She smiled and whispered that the bully's days were numbered.

Common combinations

his days are numbered
Everyone could see that his days were numbered at the company.
her days are numbered
Her days were numbered after the scandal.
their days are numbered
Their days as champions are numbered.
the days are numbered for
The days are numbered for paper maps.
feel your days are numbered
I felt my days were numbered after the new boss arrived.

Synonyms and how they differ

on borrowed time
On borrowed time stresses surviving after you would normally be gone, while your days are numbered stresses the end being close.
on the way out
On the way out is more casual and used for fashions and things as well as people.
living on a knife-edge
This describes a dangerous or uncertain situation, not a definite coming end.
the writing is on the wall
This phrase highlights clear signs that something will fail, while days are numbered is a statement about the end.

Opposites

here to stay

Word family

number verb
to count or to assign a number
numbered adjective
limited and counted, as in numbered days
day noun
a period of twenty-four hours, also a time of life

Commonly confused: your days are numbered or numbered days?

your days are numbered vs numbered days

Numbered days is a shorter noun phrase, while your days are numbered is the complete idiom.

Practice

The factory is losing money every month, and the workers fear that ____.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “your days are numbered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words