twenty-one

noun

twen·​ty-one ˌtwen-tē-ˈwən How to pronounce twenty-one (audio)
ˌtwən-
1
: a number that is one more than 20 see Table of Numbers
2
[translation of French vingt-et-un] : blackjack sense 1
twenty-one adjective
twenty-one pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of twenty-one in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The drama is anchored by the voting itself—the elaborate formalities with which the cardinal electors, of whom (in real life) there are a hundred and twenty-one, cast their ballots, requiring a two-thirds vote to yield a winner. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024 His signature legislative accomplishment slashed the top corporate tax rate from thirty-five per cent to twenty-one per cent and reduced the top individual-income-tax rate. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024 But hydrogen occasionally releases light with a wavelength of twenty-one centimetres—radio waves. Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024 The kitchen can produce more than ten thousand dumplings a day; the xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, are assembled by hand and must weigh precisely twenty-one grams, with each wrapper bearing no fewer than eighteen folds. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for twenty-one 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of twenty-one was circa 1611

Dictionary Entries Near twenty-one

Cite this Entry

“Twenty-one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twenty-one. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

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