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

According to the World Health Organization, smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death, killing over seven million people a year.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

A foot injury caused Robinson to miss the final seven games of the season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

My family has lived in Texas for seven generations, including my grandchildren.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Of the eight analysts surveyed by FactSet who cover the stock, seven are bullish and one is neutral.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

I’m late to meet Jonah outside at seven a.m. for our Saturday morning long run, but my side bangs won’t be contained in this humidity.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

The Carson Zone Pavilion is an open-air setting near the archery, track cycling, hockey, rugby sevens and tennis venues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

As she switched into fifteens from sevens, her lack of power and confidence in contact was exposed.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 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

Then Mrs. Popper had to scrub and polish and straighten the whole place, for she was much too good a housekeeper to leave everything at sixes and sevens while the Poppers were away.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater