sixteen

noun

six·​teen ˌsik-ˈstēn How to pronounce sixteen (audio)
ˈsiks-ˌtēn
: a number that is one more than 15 see Table of Numbers
sixteen adjective
sixteen pronoun, plural in construction
sixteenth
ˌsik-ˈstēn(t)th How to pronounce sixteen (audio)
ˈsiks-ˌtēn(t)th
adjective or noun

Examples of sixteen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Flying up sixteens over out of Homestead Air Force Base in Florida back in the early '90s, struck by lightning, caught on fire, ejected and spent about 15 minutes in Everglades before I got picked up by Coast Guard helicopter. ABC News, 28 Jan. 2024 In the first season, half-human, half-witch Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka, Mad Men) turns sweet sixteen (on Halloween, of course). Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2020 By next year, given current policies and potential future energy-market dynamics, the U.S. will have reduced national greenhouse-gas emissions thirteen-to-sixteen per cent below 2005 levels—not the seventeen per cent that seemed modest back in 2009. Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 11 July 2019 Beneath the game that gives the novel its plot, Raskin built a narrative substructure that consists of the intersecting identity crises experienced by the sixteen—sixteen! Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 13 June 2019 The pilot episode opens just before half-human, half-witch Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka, Mad Men) turns sweet sixteen (on Halloween, of course). Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2018 Bocas, founded in Doral in 2014, had to overcome particularly tough matchups, first in the sweet sixteen against the quickly expanding Ceviche 105 and then against longtime Miami favorite Big Cheese to represent the Local Faves region. Carlos Frías, miamiherald, 3 Apr. 2018 Days after Gerber’s sweet sixteen on September 3, the soon-to-be jetsetting model made a trip to the DMV to get her driver’s license. Colleen Kratofil, PEOPLE.com, 9 Oct. 2017 Rob Gronkowski only played eight games, but Kelce—who played all sixteen—averaged more yards per game than New England’s lovable oaf. Clay Skipper, GQ, 7 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sixteen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sixtene, from Old English sixtȳne, adjective, from six six + -tȳne (akin to Old English tīen ten) — more at ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sixteen was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sixteen

Cite this Entry

“Sixteen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sixteen. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sixteen

noun
six·​teen (ˈ)sik-ˈstēn How to pronounce sixteen (audio)
: a number that is one more than 15 see number
sixteen adjective or pronoun
sixteenth adjective or noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sixteen

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