enumeration

noun

enu·​mer·​a·​tion i-ˌn(y)ü-mə-ˈrā-shən 

plural enumerations

1

: the act or process of making or stating a list of things one after another

the rebel leader's effective enumeration of popular grievances

also : the list itself

The restaurant creates an astonishing range of preserved products … Here's a partial enumeration from Rodgers … : anchovies; jams; pickled cherries; brandied grapes …

—Thomas McNamee

2

: the act or process of counting something or a count made of something

In fact, the idea of the census as a head count may be out of date; it may be more efficient and cost-effective to replace enumeration with statistical sampling.

—David P. Hamilton

Examples of enumeration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each transaction is assigned a real-time risk score that helps detect and prevent enumeration attacks in transactions where a purchase is processed remotely without a physical card via a card reader or terminal. —Sheila Chiang, CNBC, 26 July 2024

The Supreme Court has long since stopped enforcing the Founders’ intention that the federal government be limited by the enumeration of Congress’s powers. —George F. Will, Washington Post, 26 July 2024

Michigan recently released a request for proposals to undertake a new enumeration study this year. —Alexis J. Handal, The Conversation, 15 July 2024

The country may seem awfully powerful, in static enumerations of economic or military mass, but applied power—actual power out in the world—is something quite different. —Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1551, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing enumeration

• enumeration clause