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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My mother had found a new, more revolutionary role model to follow—Fred Hampton, the charismatic twenty-one-year-old chairman of the Chicago Black Panthers. Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026 Trish was one month past her nineteenth birthday and Guv was twenty-one, back from the war and starting college on the G.I. Bill. Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026 Donald was twenty-one, terrifyingly tall, and intense. Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 The exhibitors represent forty-three countries; twenty-one galleries will make their inaugural appearances at the event. News Desk, Artforum, 19 Feb. 2026 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

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Cite this Entry

“Twenty-one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twenty-one. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

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