series
Pluralseries
- 1A group of things that come one after another or are joined in order.
Like train cars linked one behind another.
We watched a whole series of short films about ocean animals.
He told a series of jokes that made everyone laugh.
UsageSay a series of things. Plural: two series.
Similarsequence, succession, chain, string, line
Note
- 2
- 3A set of games played between two teams to see who wins the most.
Like a tug-of-war decided over several rounds, not just one pull.
Our team won the series three games to one.
The two clubs play a five-game series next week.
UsageSay a team won the series.
Similarrubber
- 4In British English, one block of episodes from a show, the same as what Americans call a season.
The new series of the drama starts on the BBC next month.
Fans waited a whole year for the third series to air.
UsageYou can say the first series or series one.
Similarseason
Note
Less common meanings
- 5In math, the result of adding the terms of a list of numbers together one by one.
Like keeping a running total as you add each number on a list.
In math class, we found the sum of the series 1 + 2 + 3 + 4.
This series adds up to exactly one.
Note
- 6In language study, a group of consonants that share the same sound feature.
- 7In biology, a classification rank used in some groups, for example a set of related species within a genus.
- 8In the diamond trade, a batch of rough diamonds of mixed quality.
Practice
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Origin
It comes from the Latin word 'seriēs', from 'serere' meaning 'to join together'. English started using it in the 1610s.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- English 'series' comes from Latin 'seriēs'. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin 'seriēs' derives from 'serere', meaning 'to join together'. en.wiktionary.org
- English began using 'series' in the 1610s. en.wiktionary.org