several
Americanadjective
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being more than two but fewer than many in number or kind.
several ways of doing it.
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They went their several ways.
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several occasions.
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Archaic. single; particular.
an examination of each several case.
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Law. binding two or more persons who may be sued separately on a common obligation.
pronoun
determiner
adjective
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(prenominal) various; separate
the members with their several occupations
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(prenominal) distinct; different
three several times
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law capable of being dealt with separately; not shared Compare joint
Etymology
Origin of several
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin sēparālis, equivalent to Latin sēpar “separate” + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Two is a "couple" and more than two or three is several. If you eat four donuts you can say you had several but you may have had too many — especially if you get a stomach-ache. Several is a word that shows size or number when you can’t be specific or when you want to summarize. If three, four, or five of you hang out, then you're spending time with several friends. Inviting 30 people over and telling your parents that several friends stopped by would be stretching the truth and you might get grounded. For how many weeks? Possibly several.
Vocabulary lists containing several
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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"The American Crisis," Vocabulary from 11-A Supernumerary Crisis
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"A Book of Nonsense"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Several years ago, Prof. Atan Gross and his colleagues made an unexpected observation while studying Mitch.
From Science Daily • Jul. 3, 2026
Several papers also carry pictures of Catherine, Princess of Wales in a cornflower blue suit at Wimbldon.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
Several factory owners added that U.S. tariffs were also a notable driver of higher prices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
Several prominent individual agents from Houston, Austin, and Dallas are also joining the firm as founding members, bringing extensive experience in luxury residential and commercial real estate.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
Several writers had provided stories for the ambitious outline, and William Faulkner had the tough job of smoothing out its clunky transitions and pulling the whole thing together.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
