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
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.
One of the men was a twenty-one-year-old Nazi stormtrooper called Horst Wessel, the son of a Protestant military chaplain, who had abandoned his home and his law studies at university to live with a young prostitute, Erna Jaenichen. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026 That morning, the idle time was down to a hundred and twenty-one seconds. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 Open only to legal residents of Georgia, USA, and at least twenty-one (21) years of age at the time of entry. — AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Most set the bar at twenty-one, though a handful of states allow eighteen-year-olds to participate. — Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 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

Rhymes for twenty-one

See All Rhymes for twenty-one

Browse Nearby Words

twenty-ninth
twenty-one
twenty-penny nail
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Twenty-one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twenty-one. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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