forty

noun for·ty \ ˈfȯr-tē \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Examples: forty in a Sentence

Definition of forty

plural forties

1 : a number equal to four times 10 — see Table of Numbers

2 forties plural : the numbers 40 to 49; specifically : the years 40 to 49 in a lifetime or century

3 : the third point scored by a side in a game of tennis

—

fortieth

play \ˈfȯr-tē-əth\ adjective or noun

—

forty

adjective

—

forty

pronoun, plural in construction

—

fortyish

play \ˈfȯr-tē-ish\ adjective

See forty defined for English-language learners

See forty defined for kids

Examples of forty in a Sentence

The temperature outside is in the high forties.
She is in her forties.

Recent Examples of forty from the Web

Mary returned to her scholarly pursuits in her forties and achieved her master's degree in library sciences from the University of Rhode Island.

— courant.com, "Mary E. Thatcher," 26 May 2018
Say, a married couple in their forties with two teenage kids.

— norman vanamee, Town & Country, "Here's Exactly How Much Money You Need To Be Happy," 16 Nov. 2017
The upshot is that around 40% of Japanese women who undergo IVF do so in their forties, twice as many as in Britain or France.

— The Economist, "No country resorts to IVF more than Japan—or has less success," 24 May 2018
His approval rating in most polls has moved up from the high thirties to the low forties.

— ronald brownstein, CNN, "Beating Republicans in November will be harder than Democrats thought," 22 May 2018
Trump told Nadler that the tower would be residential above the first forty floors, and mentioned the Hancock Center, in Chicago, which is a hundred stories tall.

— jeffrey toobin, The New Yorker, "Will the Fervor for Impeachment Start a Democratic Civil War?," 19 May 2018
Specht had glass radio tubes, medicine bottles, and airline-safety cards; Harpman had Ferrara Pan candy boxes, flypaper packaging from the forties, and hot-water bottles.

— jane mayer, The New Yorker, "Two Design Geeks Crazed for Coffee-Cup Lids," 19 Feb. 2018
And JK Rowling was in her forties and a struggling single mother when Harry Potter crawled out of her magnificent brain.

— ellie delano, Woman's Day, "I'm Feeling My Age - And You Know What? I'm OK With That," 9 July 2014
In his mid-forties, Gerber looks younger and speaks with the excitement of someone half his age.

— augusten burroughs, Town & Country, "Welcome to the Very Best Asylum Money Can Buy," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of forty

Middle English fourty, adjective, from Old English fēowertig, from fēowertig group of 40, from fēower four + -tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year