seven

American  

[sev-uhn] / ˈsɛv ən /

noun

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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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

El Niño occurs every two to seven years and usually lasts about a year.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Adobe’s stock falls further, after closing Thursday at the lowest price in more than seven years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

It typically hits every two to seven years and lasts about nine to 12 months.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

The small class size — no more than seven students — allows for plenty of one-on-one instruction, and the patient, encouraging teaching style made the experience enjoyable even for beginners.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

“Yes, there are seven of us here. My oldest sister lives away at college. I jump in when I can, but these days I scarcely have time to help with anything more than the accounts.”

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu