forty

noun

for·ty | \ ˈfȯr-tē

plural forties

Definition of forty

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

Other Words from forty Example Sentences Learn More about forty

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Other Words from forty

fortieth \ ˈfȯr-tē-əth

\ adjective or noun

forty adjective

forty pronoun, plural in construction

fortyish \ ˈfȯr-tē-ish

\ adjective

Examples of forty in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

And if men in their forties no longer want to date me, well, that’s a good thing. — Melanie Hamlett, Glamour, "Men My Age Wouldn’t Date Me, so I Became a ‘Cougar’," 5 Apr. 2019 Temperatures in the Norwegian Sea are currently in their forties, with morning snow falls and occasional rain. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "U.S. Carriers Are Operating in the Arctic Circle for the First Time in Decades," 22 Oct. 2018 Many female carriers will ultimately choose to have their breasts and ovaries removed by their mid-forties. — Pamela Munster, WSJ, "My Father’s Fight Against the Breast-Cancer Gene," 28 Sep. 2018 Couples and solo travelers in their late-thirties and early-forties appreciate the personalized service and boutique amenities. — Susannah Rigg, Condé Nast Traveler, "19 Best Boutique Hotels in Mexico City," 27 Feb. 2018 Nothing harvests cash from the back forty like big data. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, "This Agriculture Giant Is Bringing in the Drones to Modernize Farming From Cornfields to Vineyards," 19 June 2018 On a recent afternoon, Beatrice Fihn, the Swedish antinuclear activist, walked into a Tribeca café to address her next audience: sixty new mothers and about forty of their children, most under three years old. — Sophie Brickman, The New Yorker, "Talking Arms Control with Babes in Arms," 7 May 2018 Each posted his highest single-season ERA+ in his thirties (or, for Clemens, his forties), but their numbers there were 226, 159 and 188, respectively. — Emma Baccellieri, SI.com, "The Unprecedented Brilliance of Justin Verlander," 5 June 2018 Tales for the three in the 1930’s and the four in the forties, golden ages both. — Tim Layden, SI.com, "It's Instinctive to Compare Justify's Triple Crown to American Pharoah's but Both Share Connection to Greatness," 10 June 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.