series

[ seer-eez ]

noun

plural series.

1. a group or a number of related or similar things, events, etc., arranged or occurring in temporal, spatial, or other order or succession; sequence.
2. a number of games, contests, or sporting events, with the same participants, considered as a unit:

   The two baseball clubs played a five-game series.

3. a set, as of coins or stamps.
4. a set of successive volumes or issues of a periodical published in like form with similarity of subject or purpose.
5. Radio and Television.
   1. a daily or weekly program with the same cast and format and a continuing story, as a soap opera, situation comedy, or drama.
   2. a number of related programs having the same theme, cast, or format:

      a series of four programs on African wildlife.

6. Mathematics.
   1. a sequence of terms combined by addition, as 1 + ½ + ¼ + ⅛ + … ½ n.
   2. infinite series.
7. Rhetoric. a succession of coordinate sentence elements.
8. Geology. a division of stratified rocks that is of next higher rank to a stage and next lower rank to a system, comprising deposits formed during part of a geological epoch.
9. Electricity. an end-to-end arrangement of the components, as resistors, in a circuit so that the same current flows through each component. Compare parallel ( def 14 ).
10. Chemistry. a group of related chemical elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number:

    the lanthanide series.

adjective

1. Electricity. consisting of or having component parts connected in series:

   a series circuit; a series generator.

series

/ ˈsɪəriːz; -rɪz /

noun

1. a group or connected succession of similar or related things, usually arranged in order
2. a set of radio or television programmes having the same characters and setting but different stories
3. a set of books having the same format, related content, etc, published by one firm
4. a set of stamps, coins, etc, issued at a particular time
5. maths the sum of a finite or infinite sequence of numbers or quantities See also geometric series
6. electronics
   1. a configuration of two or more components connected in a circuit so that the same current flows in turn through each of them (esp in the phrase in series )
   2. ( as modifier ) Compare parallel

      a series circuit

7. rhetoric a succession of coordinate elements in a sentence
8. geology a stratigraphical unit that is a subdivision of a system and represents the rocks formed during an epoch

series

/ sîr′ēz /

1. The sum of a sequence of terms, for example 2 + 2 ² + 2 ³ + 2 ⁴ + 2 ⁵ + …
2. A group of rock formations closely related in time of origin and distinct as a group from other formations.

Other Word Forms

• multi·series noun plural multiseries
• sub·series noun plural subseries
• super·series noun plural superseries

Word History and Origins

Origin of series¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin seriēs; akin to serere “to connect”

Word History and Origins

Origin of series¹

C17: from Latin: a row, from serere to link

Synonym Study

Series, sequence, succession are terms for an orderly following of things one after another. Series is applied to a number of things of the same kind, usually related to each other, arranged or happening in order: a series of baseball games. Sequence stresses the continuity in time, thought, cause and effect, etc.: The scenes came in a definite sequence. Succession implies that one thing is followed by another or others in turn, usually though not necessarily with a relation or connection between them: succession to a throne; a succession of calamities.

Example Sentences

In a series of Instagram stories, Wood said "the SNL thing" was "mean and unfunny."

From Salon

The world wide web emerged in a series of incremental technological breakthroughs that didn't necessarily feel of enormous consequence at the time.

From BBC

Most experts thought the Clippers would have to fight for a play-in spot, but they finished fifth and enter playoff series against Denver healthy and hopeful.

From Los Angeles Times

The claims in Penly’s lawsuit echo allegations raised in a series of lawsuits in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times

One episode opens with a black-and-white low-budget revisionist movie western — titled “The Long Road Home,” after this series’ own theme — in which Harrison winds up as an extra.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• array
• course
• list
• run
• sequence
• set
• streak
• string