1
: a number that is one more than five see Table of Numbers
2
: the sixth in a set or series
3
: something having six units or members: such as
a
: an ice hockey team
b
: a 6-cylinder engine or automobile
six adjective
six pronoun, plural in construction
Phrases
at sixes and sevens
: in a state of disorder

Examples of six in a Sentence

“What time is it?” “It's six.” I leave each day at six.
Recent Examples on the Web The odds of throwing a pair of sixes is small – just 1 in 36, or slightly less than 3%. Russ Schumacher, Discover Magazine, 8 Oct. 2024 Many are familiar with the shelf-stable varietals of mooncakes—waxing with additives, flavor that never wanes; tin-packed in fours, sixes, or eights then piled in bulk at the 99 Ranch. Ingu Chen, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024 And of course, how likely are sixes to win the hand? Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 16 July 2024 The find included orts, sixes, patagoons, krajcars and kopecks, officials said, but the most fascinating coin was a gold Hamburg ducat from 1648 with the image of Madonna and Child that had a hole punched along its edge, likely worn as as medallion. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024 Four-cylinder models get the choice of a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission, but all sixes get the auto box. Steven Cole Smith, Car and Driver, 13 July 2023 Still, the manual shifter—a relatively rare item on the SUV market these days—keeps it ahead of Jeeps and Fords equipped with pushrod sixes and automatics: The Jeep runs to 60 mph in 10.3 seconds, the Explorer in 10.7. Phil Berg, Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2023 His technique was to re-pattern the bones, turn the sixes up, the fives aligned and facing each other. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 19 July 2023 Arkansas 4-star running back target Jadan Baugh has named a top six that includes the Razorbacks. Richard Davenport, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'six.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from six, adjective, from Old English siex; akin to Old High German sehs six, Latin sex, Greek hex

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of six was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near six

Cite this Entry

“Six.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/six. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

six

noun
1
: a number that is one more than five see number
2
: the sixth in a set or series
six adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on six

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