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

Jaime, who had on a yellow reflective vest and a helmet, held up his phone near his supervisor’s and, courtesy of the FarEye app, instantly received the coördinates for the packages—a total of forty-five—he’d be delivering. —Henry Alford, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026

Within the first few pages, our forty-five-year-old narrator, a man addicted to his phone a normal amount (which is to say, disastrously), drops his phone just after FaceTiming his ten-year-old daughter. —Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026

Under the leadership of Ho, who is being assisted by curators Che Kyongfa, Park Gahee, and Brian Kuan Wood, the Biennale will feature forty-five artists and collectives from twenty countries—the smallest cohort since its 1995 founding. —News Desk, Artforum, 16 Mar. 2026

Supply runs to Palatka, some forty-five miles away, took all of two weeks. —Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026

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