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figure

/ˈfɪɡɚ/
nounverb

FIGURE meaning: a drawing or representation; FIGURE scores 10 Scrabble points, has no anagrams, and has just two one-letter neighbours.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. A drawing or diagram conveying information.

  2. The representation of any form, as by drawing, painting, modelling, carving, embroidering, etc.; especially, a representation of the human body.

    “a figure in bronze; a figure cut in marble”

  3. A person, thing, or action representative of another

  4. The appearance or impression made by the conduct or career of a person.

    “He cut a sorry figure standing there in the rain.”

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To calculate, to solve a mathematical problem.

  2. To come to understand.

    “I can’t figure if he’s telling the truth or lying.”

  3. To think, to assume, to suppose, to reckon.

    “We can figure on running a loss this year.”

  4. To be reasonable or predictable.

    “It figures that somebody like him would be upset about the situation.”

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English figure, borrowed from Old French figure, from Latin figūra (“form, shape, form of a word, a figure of speech, Late Latin a sketch, drawing”), from fingō (“to form, shape, mold, fashion”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- (“to mold, shape, form, knead”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
track

Figure is a familiar six-letter word with several senses tied to representation. It can mean a drawing or diagram, a depiction of a form, a person or thing that stands for another, or the impression made by someone’s conduct. That range takes the word from a concrete image to an abstract idea without changing its spelling.

FIGURE at a glance

  • FIGURE has six letters and a Scrabble tile value of 10 points.
  • F is the costly tile at 4 points; G adds 2, and I, U, R and E add 1 each.
  • No anagrams use the same six letters in a different order.
  • LIGURE and FIXURE are the only two one-letter neighbours.
  • The -ure rhyme group has 12 words, including picture, nature, feature and measure.

What does FIGURE mean?

FIGURE can name a drawing or diagram that conveys information, or a representation made by drawing, painting, modelling or carving. It can also refer to a person or thing that represents something else, or to the impression left by someone’s conduct or career.

The meanings share an idea of showing or standing for something. A diagram is a visible figure; a person may be a figure in a larger story. For word games, keep that meaning separate from the letter pattern: the 12 rhymes include PICTURE and NATURE, but neither is an anagram of FIGURE.

How does FIGURE score in Scrabble?

FIGURE scores 10 points from its tiles: F is worth 4, G is worth 2, and I, U, R and E are each worth 1. The F supplies four of the ten points, so the other five tiles contribute six altogether. A premium square can change the turn’s total, but not those printed tile values.

The unusual word-game wrinkle is its sparse neighbourhood: only LIGURE and FIXURE differ by one letter. Those are not everyday alternatives, so don’t treat them as easy rack swaps. FIGURE’s familiar meaning makes it easier to recognize than its two close letter neighbours.

Rhymes with figure

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • LIGURE7
  • FIXURE16

Questions people ask

Does FIGURE have any anagrams?
No, FIGURE has no anagrams in this word reference. Its six letters are E, F, G, I, R and U, but no other listed word uses that exact set. Rhyming words such as PICTURE share the -ure ending, not FIGURE’s full collection of letters.
Which words differ from FIGURE by one letter?
LIGURE and FIXURE are the two one-letter neighbours of FIGURE. Each keeps five letters in the same positions and changes one tile. Because these neighbours are unusual, check your game’s word list before relying on either during play.
What words rhyme with FIGURE?
The -ure rhyme group for FIGURE contains 12 words. Familiar examples include SURE, FUTURE, PICTURE, CULTURE, NATURE, FEATURE and MEASURE. These words share a rhyme tail, but most do not match FIGURE’s six-letter pattern or its meaning.

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