several

[sev-er-uhl, sev-ruhl]

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.

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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of several¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin sēparālis, equivalent to Latin sēpar “separate” + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of several¹

C15: via Anglo-French from Medieval Latin sēparālis, from Latin sēpār, from sēparāre to _separate

Example Sentences

Satellite imagery shows several neighbourhoods in parts of the city have been levelled by Israeli strikes and demolitions over the past month.

From BBC

He had previously visited Flushing Meadows on several occasions before being joined by wife Melania on his last visit a decade ago.

From BBC

The new images reviewed by BBC Verify show that intensive bombardments and controlled explosions have levelled several neighbourhoods over the past four weeks.

From BBC

The past few seasons they have had to dig in to finish mid-table and manage several injury issues.

From BBC

The top pick in the 2009 NFL draft has seemingly recovered from a back issue that sidelined him for all of training camp and several weeks of preseason practices.

From Los Angeles Times