eleven

[ih-lev-uhn]

noun

1. a cardinal number, ten plus one.

2. a symbol for this number, such as 11 or XI.

3. a set or group of 11 people or things, such as a football or soccer team.

   The new forward plays a pivotal role in the Manchester eleven.

4. Also called eleven lines. Informal.,  none elevens or 11s. a pair of vertical wrinkles that commonly develop between the eyebrows; frown lines.

   My dermatologist said he could fix my elevens with no injections or plastic surgery.

adjective

1. amounting to one more than ten in number.

eleven

/ ɪˈlɛvən /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and one

2. a numeral 11, XI, etc, representing this number

3. something representing, represented by, or consisting of 11 units

4. (functioning as singular or plural) a team of 11 players in football, cricket, hockey, etc

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

determiner

1. 1. amounting to eleven

      eleven chances

   2. ( as pronoun )

      have another eleven today

Word History and Origins

Origin of eleven¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English elleven(e), Old English ellefne, endleofan; cognate with Old High German einlif ( German elf ), Old Norse ellifu, Gothic ainlib-, literally, one remaining (after counting ten). See one, leave ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of eleven¹

Old English endleofan; related to Old Norse ellefo, Gothic ainlif, Old Frisian andlova, Old High German einlif

Example Sentences

“We had eleven songs,” some of which had to be repeated to fill out a gig.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Where one would normally expect perhaps one quasar, the team saw eleven of them packed within a region of space just 40 million light years across.

Read more on Space Scoop

"I don't dare to think about a starting eleven at the World Cup because there are so many months to play," Tuchel said.

Read more on Barron's

He added: "It is not about building starting eleven. It is about building a team and they buy into it. Put ego behind them because it is the right thing to do for the team."

Read more on BBC

This represented an eleven percentage point benefit over the treatment most commonly offered at present.

Read more on MarketWatch

When To Use

Spelling tips for 11

The word eleven (11) is hard to spell because the word sounds as if it should include the letter i [ ih-lev-uhn ]. How to spell eleven: The easiest way to remember how to spell eleven is that every other letter is an e. There are no other vowels. You simply take all of the consonant sounds (l, v, and n), and add an e between all of them: eLeVeN.