several

American  

[sev-er-uhl, sev-ruhl] / ˈsɛv ər əl, ˈsɛv rəl /

adjective

1. being more than two but fewer than many in number or kind.

   several ways of doing it.

2. respective; individual.

   They went their several ways.

3. separate; different.

   several occasions.

4. Archaic. single; particular.

   an examination of each several case.

5. Law. binding two or more persons who may be sued separately on a common obligation.

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pronoun

(used with a plural verb)

1. several persons or things.

   He's written ten novels, and several have sold very well.

   Several of my friends are divorced.

several British  

/ ˈsɛvrəl /

determiner

1. 1. more than a few; an indefinite small number

      several people objected

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as plural )

      several of them know

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adjective

1. (prenominal) various; separate

   the members with their several occupations

2. (prenominal) distinct; different

   three several times

3. 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

Example Sentences

Lines of idling trucks stretch several miles to the nearby U.A.E. port of Khorfakkan, which is picking up shipments that can’t reach Dubai anymore.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The team also demonstrated multiuser capability by activating several lasers at once.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026

One company mentioned by several readers was Adobe, the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The New York-based bank, the largest in the country, said Tuesday that it wants to add three million new small business clients—on top of the seven million it works with now—in the next several years.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

But his mother has now called him Charley several times.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse