a number of something
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Some, but an unspecified amount
Literally: a quantity of items
Register: neutral
Examples
I have a number of books to read.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR A2); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a number of something” mean?
Some, but an unspecified amount Literally: a quantity of items
Is “a number of something” formal or informal?
a number of something is generally neutral.