twenty-one

noun

twen·​ty-one ˌtwen-tē-ˈwən 

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

The Smithsonian Institution, which oversees twenty-one museums, among other establishments, operates independently from the executive branch of the government, which makes wresting control over it more difficult. — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026

The couple eventually had two boys, now ages twelve and twenty-one. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

The beach club holds up to 194 people and will be open to both Caesars Guest and members of the public who are twenty-one and over. — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Anolik, who has spent over a decade researching and writing about Babitz, talks about the notorious photo of a nude Babitz, age twenty-one, playing chess with Marcel Duchamp; her relationship with Joan Didion, and her artistic legacy captured through letter writing. — Lili Anolik, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for twenty-one

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon