forty-five

noun

for·​ty-five ˌfȯr-tē-ˈfīv 

1

: a number that is five more than 40 see Table of Numbers

2

: a .45 caliber handgun

—usually written .45

3

: a phonograph record designed to be played at 45 revolutions per minute

—usually written 45

forty-five adjective

forty-five pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of forty-five in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But China has countered the Trump Administration’s tariffs of a hundred and forty-five per cent with tariffs of a hundred and twenty-five per cent, as of late April, on American goods. —Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2025

Around forty-five million dollars, or sixteen per cent, of its money comes from the federal government, and is earmarked for maintenance and building operations. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025

What that means—when Bunty might report to work, and what happens after forty-five days—went unsaid. —Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025

Eventually, Abbott would send forty-five thousand people to New York, most of them Venezuelans, along with another thirty-seven thousand people to Chicago, nineteen thousand to Denver, and twelve thousand to Washington. —Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for forty-five

• overdrive
• alive
• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive
• contrive
• deprive
• derive
• revive
• survive
• dive

Kids Definition

forty-five

noun

for·​ty-five

ˌfȯrt-ē-ˈfīv

: a .45 caliber pistol

—usually written .45