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• six
  six

  noun

  a cardinal number, five plus one.
• Six
  Six

  noun

  a group of six young composers in France, who from about 1916 formed a temporary association as a result of interest in neoclassicism and in the music of Satie and the poetry of Cocteau. Its members were Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric, Louis Durey, and Germaine Tailleferre

six

American  

[siks] / sɪks /

noun

sixes plural

1. a cardinal number, five plus one.

2. a symbol for this number, as 6 or VI.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with six pips.

5. Cricket. a hit in which the ball crosses the boundary line of the field without a bounce, counting six runs for the batsman.

6. an automobile powered by a six-cylinder engine.

7. a six-cylinder engine.

8. Slang.

   1. the area directly behind a person; back.

      Check your six—there's a hottie approaching.

   2. the area directly behind a person in motion; tail.

      The pilot had an enemy plane on his six.

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adjective

1. amounting to six in number.

idioms

1. get / have someone’s six, back.

2. at sixes and sevens,

   1. in disorder or confusion.

   2. in disagreement or dispute.

3. watch one’s six, back.

six ¹ British  

/ sɪks /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one See also number

2. a numeral, 6, VI, etc, representing this number

3. something representing, represented by, or consisting of six units, such as a playing card with six symbols on it

4. Also called: six o'clock.  six hours after noon or midnight

5. Also called: sixer.  cricket

   1. a stroke in which the ball crosses the boundary without bouncing

   2. the six runs scored for such a stroke

6. a division of a Brownie Guide or Cub Scout pack

7. 1. in disagreement

   2. in a state of confusion

8. informal to upset or overwhelm someone completely; stun

9. a situation in which the alternatives are considered equivalent

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to six

      six nations

   2. ( as pronoun )

      set the table for six

Six ² British  

/ sis /

noun

1. a group of six young composers in France, who from about 1916 formed a temporary association as a result of interest in neoclassicism and in the music of Satie and the poetry of Cocteau. Its members were Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric, Louis Durey, and Germaine Tailleferre

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six More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing six

• Joe six-pack
• at sixes and sevens
• deep six

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sixes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of six

First recorded before 900; Middle English six, sex, Old English siex, syx, seox, sex; cognate with Dutch zes, Low German ses, German sechs, Old Norse sex, Gothic saihs, Latin sex, Greek héx Sanskrit ṣaṭ-

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

six Six sixes

Chloe O. Davis devised writhing choreography for the six dancers who supplied some movement, in contrast to the mostly static chorus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Jazmin Kaur, 22, from Leicester, was diagnosed with anorexia when she was 13 and spent the next six years receiving NHS treatment.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

There were already about 100 to 200 fans in the park, about six hours before the first whistle; laughing, drinking, lending a hand to vendor setups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

After all, it’s a formula that has worked for nigh on six decades.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Early was arrested and returned to Carville to serve an additional six months.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Six tankers crossed through the strait Sunday without their automatic identification systems on, according to data from Kpler — with two entering and four exiting the waterway.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

Six tech hyperscalers have issued around $244 billion in bonds globally this year, up from $108 billion all of last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Six months later, his natural testosterone levels are improving, however, the hormone which stimulates sperm production is still low.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

According to Page Six, the model’s essay in the Cut had publishers champing at the bit in a 12-way bidding war that culminated in the hefty pay day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Six months passed before the doctors concluded that the headaches were happening because a part of his brain was growing abnormally.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

After the early loss of Phil Salt, Brook carted Prince Yadav for two consecutive mighty leg-side sixes and followed with a trademark lofted cover drive into the stands off Axar.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

We gather in sixes and eights for dinner at places chosen more for their decibels than their desserts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

He faced just one dot ball in his fifty and hit five fours and five sixes from the other 10 balls to bring up the landmark.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

The 15-year-old's latest remarkable feat came for India A against Sri Lanka A as he made 94 off 29 balls in a total of 377-9, a knock that included 10 fours and eight sixes.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

There was a lot of brass commanding teams of policemen; sending them by fours and at times by sixes, all combing the neighborhood for something or maybe as a show of force.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez