TKG English Learner's Dictionary

several

severaldeterminer

American /ˈsɛv.rəl/? British /ˈsev.rəl/? The first syllable is stressed.
very commondefining vocabulary

  1. more than a fewused before a plural noun to mean three or more, but not a large number

    Several sits between a few and many in size: it is more than a small handful but still a limited, countable number.

    Collocations

    phrase several times, several years

    Compare few (several suggests a somewhat larger number than a few); many

Usage

Several goes only with a plural countable noun; it has no exact number, but it starts around three and stays well short of many. Several used alone, without a following noun (several of us agreed), is a separate entry.

Common mistakes

She gave me several advice. She gave me several pieces of advice.
Several goes with a plural countable noun; the uncountable noun advice needs a counting phrase like pieces of first.

See also few; several (several used alone, without a following noun: several of us agreed)

For translators

Grammar trap Several goes only with a plural countable noun, never with an uncountable one.