INDEX:
1. a series of events, things, numbers, people etc
2. a series of television programmes, books etc
3. happening or doing something in a series
RELATED WORDS
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1. a series of events, things, numbers, people etc
▷ series /ˈsɪ ə riːz/ [singular noun]
several things that happen one after the other :
▪ What is the next number in the series -- 12, 24, 48, 96?
series of
▪ There has been a series of accidents on the M25.
▪ The orchestra is giving a series of concerts to raise money for charity.
▪ Police smashed a major drugs ring after a series of dawn raids.
▷ sequence /ˈsiːkwəns/ [countable noun usually singular]
the order in which events or actions follow one another, or the order in which they are supposed to follow one another :
▪ The keys have to be turned in a particular sequence to open the safe.
sequence of
▪ The sequence of movements for this particular dance is quite difficult to learn.
sequence of events
▪ The report detailed the sequence of events that led to the oil spill.
in sequence
▪ The chairs are numbered in sequence.
▷ string of /ˈstrɪŋ ɒv/ [noun phrase]
a series of similar events that happen very close together, or a group of similar things that exist or are found very close together :
▪ O'Neill had a string of successes with his first four plays.
▪ a string of tiny islands off the coast of Florida
▪ Jackson was imprisoned in 1934 for a string of sensational crimes.
▷ succession /səkˈseʃ ə n/ [singular noun]
a number of events, relationships, people etc following closely after each other, especially when it is bad that there have been so many of them :
succession of
▪ The project has had a succession of legal problems.
▪ Like many rich kids, Georgie was raised by a succession of underpaid nannies.
in succession
▪ We lost four important games in succession.
▷ chain of events also train of events British /ˌtʃeɪn əv ɪˈvents, ˌtreɪn əv ɪˈvents/ [noun phrase]
a series of events, especially a series in which each thing that happens causes the next one to happen :
▪ The 6 month trial focused on the chain of events leading to the murder.
▪ The book details the train of events that led to the outbreak of the First World War.
▷ stream of /ˈstriːm ɒv/ [noun phrase]
a long and almost continuous series of events, people, objects etc that follow closely after each other :
stream of of
▪ Guides take the non-stop stream of visitors around the castle.
in an endless stream
continuously, in large numbers
▪ Refugees were pouring across the border in an endless stream.
▷ catalogue of failures/disasters/errors etc also catalog American /ˌkætəlɒg əv ˈfeɪljəʳzǁ-lɔːg-/ [noun phrase]
a series of failures, disasters etc that happen one after the other and never seem to stop :
▪ The bombing is the latest addition to the catalogue of terrorist crimes.
▪ The official report into the disaster points up a whole catalog of errors and oversights.
▷ course of drugs/treatment/injections /ˌkɔːʳs əv ˈdrʌgz, ˈtriːtmənt, ɪnˈdʒekʃ ə nz/ [noun phrase]
a planned process of medical treatment, consisting of a series of regular amounts of treatment, drugs etc over a fixed period :
▪ Europeans usually need to have a course of injections before travelling to India.
▪ The disease can be easily cured with a simple course of antibiotics.
2. a series of television programmes, books etc
▷ series /ˈsɪ ə riːz/ [countable noun]
a regular series of television programmes, books etc that tell the same story or are the same kind of programme, book etc :
▪ A new TV series called ‘The Hamilton Dynasty’ will be starting next autumn.
▪ Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series for children has been amazingly successful.
series of
▪ a series of articles about the state of the economy
▷ serial /ˈsɪ ə riəl/ [countable noun]
a story that is broadcast in several separate parts on television or radio, or printed in separate parts in a magazine or newspaper :
▪ The BBC sells most of its successful serials to the US.
▪ Don’t miss the latest episode in our serial, ‘David Copperfield.’
serialize [transitive verb]
make a book etc into a serial :
▪ Her novel ‘The Awakening’ was recently serialized on TV.
3. happening or doing something in a series
▷ successive /səkˈsesɪv/ [adjective only before noun]
happening one after the other :
▪ Successive nights without sleep make any new parent feel ready to quit.
▪ Jackson became the first batter since Babe Ruth to hit three successive home runs in a single game.
▪ Successive governments have failed to tackle the problem of international debt.
▷ consecutive /kənˈsekjɑtɪv/ [adjective]
consecutive days, years etc come after one another, with no breaks in between :
▪ The company has made a profit for seven consecutive years.
▪ You must get a doctor’s certificate if you’re off work sick for more than three consecutive days.
▷ straight /streɪt/ [adjective/adverb]
happening immediately one after another in a series, especially in an unusually long series :
▪ The temperatures was 40 degrees below zero for two weeks straight.
▪ She is hoping to beat her personal record of 21 straight victories.
▷ in succession /ɪn səkˈseʃ ə n/ [adverb]
if something happens on a number of occasions, days, years etc in succession, it happens on each of those occasions, days, years etc, without a break :
▪ She’s won the championship four times in succession.
▪ It’s not advisable to plant wheat in the same field for more than two years in succession.
▷ one after the other/one after another /ˌwʌn ɑːftəʳ ði ˈʌðəʳ, ˌwʌn ɑːftər əˈnʌðəʳǁ-æf-/ [adverb]
if a number of events happen one after the other or one after another, each one happens soon after the previous one :
▪ One after another they got up and left the room.
▪ He was so thirsty that he drank five glasses of water, one after the other.
▪ She smoked nervously throughout the meeting, one cigarette after another.
▷ in a row /ɪn ə ˈrəʊ/ [adverb]
done two or more times, one after another, without a break :
▪ Last week I overslept three days in a row.
▪ The Blazers have won 11 games in a row.
▷ running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ [adverb]
if you do something for the third time, fifth time etc running, you do it that number of times without a break :
▪ This is the fourth time running you’ve been late.
▪ Spender won the Cambridge Poetry Prize three years running.
▷ alternate /ɔːlˈtɜːnɪt, ɔːlˈtɜːnətǁˈɔːltɜːr-, ˈæl-/ [adjective only before noun]
two alternate actions, events, feelings etc are done in a fixed order, first one, then the other, then the first one again etc :
▪ He worked alternate night and day shifts.
▪ Italian cities have imposed alternate-day driving rules in an effort to reduce pollution.
alternate Sundays/weekends etc
first one Sunday or weekend, but not the next, then the next Sunday or weekend but not the next etc
▪ She visits her parents on alternate Sundays.
alternately [adverb]
▪ The child lay there for three days, alternately sweating and shivering.