VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

several

determiner, pronoun, adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈsevrəl/
US/ˈsevrəl/

Meanings

  1. determinerbefore a noun

    More than two or three but not a large number.

    Grammar: Goes with plural countable nouns: several books, never several book.

    Patterns

    • several + plural noun
    • several of the + plural noun

    I've called her several times today.

    Several students stayed late to finish the project.

    The recipe needs several eggs.

  2. pronounplural

    Some of a group, not many but more than a couple.

    Grammar: Stands alone or with of: several of them left.

    Patterns

    • several of someone
    • several of the things

    Several of my friends live abroad.

    I read a few essays, and several were excellent.

    Several have already signed up.

  3. adjectivebefore a nounformallegal

    Separate and individual, belonging to each one in turn.

    Grammar: Formal and rare, mostly found in legal writing: their several responsibilities.

    Patterns

    • jointly and severally

    The partners were held liable jointly and severally.

    Each heir pursued his several interests.

    The two firms went their several ways.

Common combinations

several times
He checked the door several times before leaving.
several days
The storm lasted several days.
several of us
Several of us walked to work.
several different
There are several different ways to solve this.
several years ago
We moved here several years ago.

Synonyms and how they differ

a few
A few is a little smaller and more informal, whereas several suggests slightly more.
some
Some is vaguer about quantity and can mean any amount, while several is clearly a number of countable items.
numerous
Numerous implies a larger count, often many, than several.
various
Various stresses that the items differ from one another, not how many there are.

Opposites

fewone

Word family

severally adverb
individually, each separately; mostly legal use
sever verb
to cut apart; related in origin to separate
severance noun
a cutting off, or a payment when leaving a job

Commonly confused: several or severe?

several vs severe

Severe means very harsh or serious; it looks and sounds a little like several but is unrelated in meaning.

Practice

Which sentence is correct?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “several”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words