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
That Dyer burlesque—of self-ravelling and unravelling—stretched across a memoir (though the narrative essentially ends at twenty-one) quickly takes on a quality of mock-heroic completism.
—
James Wood, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
In a recent press conference, Guevara’s daughter mentioned that one of her brothers, who is now twenty-one and is sponsoring his father’s request, had to undergo two surgeries to remove a brain tumor and depends on his father financially and emotionally.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 28 June 2025
For early esophageal and lung cancers, sensitivity dropped to twelve and twenty-one per cent—levels that would severely limit clinical utility.
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Effectively banished to France and forced to sell his commission, Burgoyne lived modestly with Charlotte on the Seine for seven years, growing vegetables, traveling the Continent, and making a living at whist and twenty-one.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for twenty-one
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
James Wood, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
In a recent press conference, Guevara’s daughter mentioned that one of her brothers, who is now twenty-one and is sponsoring his father’s request, had to undergo two surgeries to remove a brain tumor and depends on his father financially and emotionally.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 28 June 2025
For early esophageal and lung cancers, sensitivity dropped to twelve and twenty-one per cent—levels that would severely limit clinical utility.
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Effectively banished to France and forced to sell his commission, Burgoyne lived modestly with Charlotte on the Seine for seven years, growing vegetables, traveling the Continent, and making a living at whist and twenty-one.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for twenty-one
Cite this Entry
“Twenty-one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twenty-one. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share