series

noun

se·​ries ˈsir-(ˌ)ēz How to pronounce series (audio)
plural series
often attributive
1
a
: a number of things or events of the same class coming one after another in spatial or temporal succession
a concert series
the hall opened into a series of small rooms
b
: a set of regularly presented television programs each of which is complete in itself
2
: the indicated sum of a usually infinite sequence of numbers
3
a
: the coins or currency of a particular country and period
b
: a group of postage stamps in different denominations
4
: a succession of volumes or issues published with related subjects or authors, similar format and price, or continuous numbering
5
: a division of rock formations that is smaller than a system and comprises rocks deposited during an epoch
6
: a group of chemical compounds related in composition and structure
7
: an arrangement of the parts of or elements in an electric circuit whereby the whole current passes through each part or element without branching compare parallel
8
: a set of vowels connected by ablaut (such as i, a, u in ring, rang, rung)
9
: a number of games (as of baseball) played usually on consecutive days between two teams
in town for a 3-game series
10
: a group of successive coordinate sentence elements joined together
11
12
: three consecutive games in bowling
Phrases
in series
: in a serial or series arrangement

Examples of series in a Sentence

a five-part series on the history of baseball a series of articles on global warming The Yankees played a three-game series against the Red Sox last week. The play-off series between the two teams begins next week.
Recent Examples on the Web The blaze was the largest in a series of wildfires that have become increasingly common in this corner of the desert as climate change brings hotter, drier conditions and more extreme swings in precipitation. Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The unsettled political environment of those times plays a recurring role in the series, with Richard Nixon intermittently popping up on the TV and the space program, with its ties to Florida, among the threads woven into the story. Brian Lowry, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 The series, part of a growing Anne Rice universe at AMC, is set to begin its second season on May 12. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 The couple reportedly started dating in early 2020, but didn’t make their romance public until May of that pandemic year, sharing the news of their engagement on Dec. 20 with a series of pictures, including one of her engagement ring; they got married five months later, in May 2021. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024 The default candidate for that job is the PA, established by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as its governing executive during the Oslo peace accords, a series of agreements in the 1990s meant to lead to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Raja Khalidi, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s homegrown competitor, Huawei, saw a resurgence in the country after releasing a new series of smartphones. Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 And new merchandise will honor Women's History Month as part of an artist collaboration series. Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 The series is in development, which means CBS will still have to decide to pick up The Gates for official TV placement. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'series.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from serere to join, link together; akin to Greek eirein to string together, hormos chain, necklace, and perhaps to Latin sort-, sors lot

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of series was in 1611

Dictionary Entries Near series

Cite this Entry

“Series.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/series. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

series

noun
se·​ries ˈsi(ə)r-ēz How to pronounce series (audio)
plural series
1
: a number of things or events arranged in order and connected by being alike in some way
a concert series
a series of talks
2
: a division of rock formations smaller than a system comprising rocks deposited during an epoch
3
: an arrangement of the parts of or elements in an electric circuit whereby the whole current passes through each part or element without branching
4
: a group of sentence elements of the same rank that follow one after another and are joined together
the phrase "a bowl of oranges, apples, and bananas" has a series of three nouns

Medical Definition

series

noun
se·​ries ˈsi(ə)r-(ˌ)ēz How to pronounce series (audio)
plural series
1
: a number of things or events of the same class coming one after another in spatial or temporal succession
described a new series of cases
2
: a group of specimens or types progressively differing from each other in some morphological or physiological attribute
a series of antitoxins
3
: a group of chemical compounds related in composition and structure
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