thirty-eight
noun
thir·ty-eight
ˌthər-tē-ˈāt 
1
: a number that is one more than 37 see Table of Numbers
2
: a .38 caliber handgun
—usually written .38
thirty-eight
adjective
thirty-eight
pronoun, plural in construction
Examples of thirty-eight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The idea that anyone not afflicted by a death wish might initiate a high-speed accident with a thirty-eight-ton tractor-trailer seemed ludicrous.
—
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
And for this he was assassinated, at the age of thirty-eight, in Africa in 1896.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
This edition of Open Masters invites athletes thirty years-old and above to compete in one or more of thirty-eight sports, each with multiple age groups and distinct men’s and women’s categories.
—Lee Igel, Forbes.com, 14 Feb. 2026
But in thirty-eight years there has only ever been one SPACEBALLS.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2025
Over eight thousand Taco Bells and thirty-eight hundred Chipotles have institutionalized homogenized versions of Tex-Mex/Mexican cuisine across the US and elsewhere.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Nov. 2025
Maguire had created, as the author himself described it, a dense, almost nineteenth-century-type novel that takes place over thirty-eight years and has thirty-eight speaking parts.
—CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
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Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
And for this he was assassinated, at the age of thirty-eight, in Africa in 1896.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
This edition of Open Masters invites athletes thirty years-old and above to compete in one or more of thirty-eight sports, each with multiple age groups and distinct men’s and women’s categories.
—Lee Igel, Forbes.com, 14 Feb. 2026
But in thirty-eight years there has only ever been one SPACEBALLS.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2025
Over eight thousand Taco Bells and thirty-eight hundred Chipotles have institutionalized homogenized versions of Tex-Mex/Mexican cuisine across the US and elsewhere.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Nov. 2025
Maguire had created, as the author himself described it, a dense, almost nineteenth-century-type novel that takes place over thirty-eight years and has thirty-eight speaking parts.
—CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thirty-eight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thirty-eight. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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