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

Supply runs to Palatka, some forty-five miles away, took all of two weeks. —Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026

He is survived by his sons, David and Eric, three grandchildren, and his friend and collaborator of forty-five years, producer Karen Konicek. —News Desk, Artforum, 17 Feb. 2026

Lviv, a city of more than seven hundred thousand people, situated some forty-five miles east of the border with Poland, has been spared the worst of it. —Michael Holtz, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026

Then seventy, Kluge and his third wife, Patricia, had moved to a forty-five-room Georgian estate Kluge built for her in rural Virginia. —Gabriel Sherman, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026

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