forty-niner
noun
for·ty-nin·er
ˌfȯr-tē-ˈnī-nər 
: one taking part in the rush to California for gold in 1849
Examples of forty-niner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Newcomers began to arrive almost immediately, with the growth driven by the forty-niners ‒ the gold-seeking pioneers who began flocking west in 1849.
—
Andre Byik, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
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.
Andre Byik, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forty-niner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forty-niner. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share