several

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈsɛvrəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈsɛvərəl, ˈsɛvrəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(sev′ər əl, sev′rəl)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sev•er•al /ˈsɛvərəl, ˈsɛvrəl/USA pronunciation   adj. [~ + plural noun]
  1. being more than two but fewer than many:There are several ways to do the same thing.
  2. separate;
    different:We visited on several occasions.
  3. individual;
    respective:They went their several ways.

n. [plural* used with a plural verb]
  1. several persons or things;
    a few;
    some:Several have already signed up.
sev•er•al•ly, adv. See -pare1-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sev•er•al  (sev′ər əl, sev′rəl),USA pronunciation adj. 
  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. single;
    particular.
  5. Lawbinding two or more persons who may be sued separately on a common obligation.

n. 
  1. several persons or things;
    a few;
    some.
  • Medieval Latin sēparālis, equivalent. to Latin sēpar separate + -ālis -al1
  • Anglo-French
  • late Middle English 1375–1425

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
several /ˈsɛvrəl/ determiner
    • more than a few; an indefinite small number: several people objected
    • (as pronoun; functioning as plural): several of them know
 adj
  1. (prenominal) various; separate: the members with their several occupations
  2. (prenominal) distinct; different: three several times
  3. capable of being dealt with separately; not shared
Etymology: 15th Century: via Anglo-French from Medieval Latin sēparālis, from Latin sēpār, from sēparāre to separate
'several' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
a - acarus - ace - actinomycin - adaptor - adder's-tongue - adrenal gland - African violet - agrimony - alder - aliquot - allemande - allophone - allyl resin - aloes - amaryllis - amberjack - amylase - anabas - Anastasia - anchor - Andes - androgen - angel shark - annihilation - any - apartment - apple - arabesque - arbor vitae - arbutus - arch - archaeopteryx - arsenic - article - ash - aspect - aspen - asphalt - aspirate - atrium - Augustinian - avens - avocet - axis - axolotl - Baal - baboon - Bahrain - balm of Gilead
Collocations: for several [years, months, hours], has been several [years] since, [happened, occurred] several [years] [before, earlier], more...

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