sixty

noun

six·​ty ˈsiks-tē 

plural sixties

1

: a number that is equal to six times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

sixties plural : the numbers 60 to 69

specifically : the years 60 to 69 in a lifetime or century

sixtieth

ˈsiks-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

sixty adjective

sixty pronoun, plural in construction

sixtyish

ˈsiks-tē-ish 

adjective

Examples of sixty in a Sentence

He retired when he was in his sixties.

Recent Examples on the Web

Evans grew up in a deeply religious household where films produced after the sixties were forbidden. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026

If a would-be client makes a lowball offer—forty-five dollars an hour, say, instead of the usual sixty—it can be rejected in the certain knowledge that more can be made working for someone else. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026

The 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others, orchestrated by the wild-eyed cult leader Charles Manson, marked the end of the flower child era of the sixties and ushered in a dark, disturbing reality in the Hollywood Hills. — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Then there were some streaks of about three hundred people identifying the advent of oldness to the early, mid, and late sixties. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from sixty, adjective, from Old English siextig, noun, group of sixty, from siex six + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sixty

• sixty-fourth note
• sixty-fourth rest
• sixty-nine

Kids Definition

sixty

noun

six·​ty ˈsik-stē 

plural sixties

: a number that is equal to six times 10 see number

sixtieth

-stē-əth 

adjective or noun

sixty adjective or pronoun