seven

American  

[sev-uhn] / ˈsɛv ən /

noun

• sevens
  plural

1. a cardinal number, 6 plus 1.

2. a symbol for this number, as 7 or VII.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a playing card with seven pips.

5. (used with a singular verb) sevens, fan-tan.

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adjective

1. amounting to seven in number.

verb phrase

1. seven out crap.

seven British  

/ ˈsɛvən /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one and is a prime number See also number

2. a numeral, 7, VII, etc, representing this number

3. the amount or quantity that is one greater than six

4. anything representing, represented by, or consisting of seven units, such as a playing card with seven symbols on it

5. Also called: seven o'clock.  seven hours after noon or midnight

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to seven

      seven swans a-swimming

   2. ( as pronoun )

      you've eaten seven already

seven Idioms  

1. see at sixes and sevens; in seventh heaven.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sevens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of seven

before 900; Middle English seoven ( e ), seofne, seven, Old English seofon; cognate with German sieben, Gothic sibun; akin to Old Irish secht, Welsh saith, Latin septem, Greek heptá, Polish siedem, Sanskrit saptá

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seven sevens

So Thursday’s game will be pivotal, as teams rarely keep eight-plus cornerbacks; the Chargers kept seven last season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

At just seven years old, Park Geon-roung starred in the Baby Shark music video that went on to become the most-watched YouTube clip of all time, with 17 billion views - and counting.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Restaurant chains have tried to refine their chicken-sandwich recipes ever since Popeye’s chicken sandwich went viral about seven years ago.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Though booked revenue for the summer was down six percent from the same season last year, TUI -- the world's largest travel group -- said bookings over the past four weeks had risen seven percent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

“That makes seven of us,” I said to Charlie, “unless she’s a minnow we have to throw back.”

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Pupil A gave evidence about the school team playing at the Rosslyn Park sevens tournament in London, 17-18 March 2024.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

The Irish Rugby Football Union confirmed 35 centralised contracts for their sevens and XVs stars, with the hope of maintaining their upward trajectory.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

The 29-year-old Olympic gold medallist in rugby sevens ruptured a cruciate knee ligament playing against Ireland in the last Six Nations in March.

From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026

In 2023, he was named as the world's best sevens player.

From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025

Seanie and I ended up on opposite teams, playing sevens, which, like I said, is a much more wide-open and fast game with fewer pile-ups.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith