fifty

noun

fif·​ty ˈfif-tē 

plural fifties

1

: a number equal to five times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

fifties plural : the numbers 50 to 59

specifically : the years 50 to 59 in a lifetime or century

3

: a 50-dollar bill

fiftieth

ˈfif-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

fifty adjective

fifty pronoun, plural in construction

fiftyish

ˈfif-tē-ish 

adjective

Examples of fifty in a Sentence

She is in her fifties.

The bill for dinner came to $43, and she gave him a fifty.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1882, in his fifties, Tolstoy finished writing A Confession—a raw exploration of his looming crisis. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Posnock firmly identifies the nineteen-fifties as the high-water mark of American sophistication. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Foxx admitted a little hesitation to having a baby in his fifties. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026

Additionally, a second person who was driving a dark gray four-door SUV that the two left in was described as a white female also in her late forties to early fifties with shoulder-length brown hair. — Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from fifty, adjective, from Old English fīftig, from fīftig, noun, group of 50, from fīf five + -tig group of ten; akin to tīen ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fifty

• fifty-fifty

Rhymes for fifty

• nifty
• shifty
• thrifty
• unthrifty

Kids Definition

fifty

noun

fif·​ty ˈfif-tē 

plural fifties

: a number equal to five times 10 see number

fiftieth

-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

fifty adjective or pronoun