count on the fingers of one hand

English

Alternative forms

• count on one hand

Verb

count on the fingers of one hand (third-person singular simple present counts on the fingers of one hand, present participle counting on the fingers of one hand, simple past and past participle counted on the fingers of one hand)

1. (transitive, figurative) To count something small enough in number that one can do it using just the digits on one's hand.

Usage notes

• Used with the auxiliary verbs can or could.

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: laskea yhden käden sormin
• French: compter sur les doigts d’une main (fr)
• German: an einer Hand abzählen
• Italian: contare sulla punta delle dita, contare sulle dita
• Polish: policzyć na palcach jednej ręki pf
• Russian: по па́льцам перече́сть pf (po pálʹcam perečéstʹ), по па́льцам счесть pf (po pálʹcam sčestʹ), по па́льцам сосчита́ть pf (po pálʹcam sosčitátʹ), по па́льцам пересчита́ть pf (po pálʹcam peresčitátʹ), на па́льцах перече́сть pf (na pálʹcax perečéstʹ), на па́льцах счесть pf (na pálʹcax sčestʹ), на па́льцах сосчита́ть pf (na pálʹcax sosčitátʹ), на па́льцах пересчита́ть pf (na pálʹcax peresčitátʹ)
• Zazaki: pê gıştana amoren

Further reading

• “count something on the fingers of one hand”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “you can count something on the fingers of one hand” (US) / “you can count something on the fingers of one hand” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “could count sth on the fingers of one hand”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “someone can count something on the fingers of one hand”, in Collins English Dictionary.