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

In all, Wyant caught a hundred and forty-five pounds of fish—Spanish mackerel, tuna, bonito, and mahi-mahi. —Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

Catwoman robbed a few banks, but her biggest crimes were falling in love with a man with a fatal allergy to commitment, and being forty-five. —Literary Hub, 30 July 2025

But war crimes prosecutors and journalists found that of forty-five Serbs who died in Kravica, thirty-five were soldiers, including five who were killed after being taken prisoner. —David Rohde, NBC news, 21 July 2025

For proof, look no further than Eddington, New Mexico, a fictional town of two thousand three hundred and forty-five souls. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 July 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