“Several” usually means “more than two, but not very many.”

Basic meaning

  • Most dictionaries define several as an indefinite number that is more than two (so at least three) but still a relatively small amount, not “many.”
  • It is used when you want to show there is a noticeable number of things, but you are not giving an exact count.

Examples in sentences

  • “It took several hours to clear the road” = more than two hours, but not an extremely large number of hours.
  • “Several letters arrived this morning” = a small group of letters, more than two, but not a big pile.
  • “I visited him several times” = a handful of visits, not just once or twice.

How many is “several”?

  • Everyday speakers often think of “several” as somewhere around 3–7 of something, though there is no strict rule and it depends on context.
  • If you need to be precise, it is better to use an exact number (“3,” “5,” “10”) instead of “several.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.