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

The blocks, about seventy-five in total, each weighing between eight thousand and forty-five thousand pounds, were trucked to Quebec. —Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

That a New York Times writer would suggest that any forty-five-minute episode of a true crime show could capture the entire story behind a woman’s crime is absurd. —John J. Lennon september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025

At forty-five years old, Shane was fit and healthy. —John J. Lennon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025

The doctor may be exhausted from lack of sleep, or distraught after having performed CPR on a baby for forty-five minutes. —Rachel Pearson, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

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