thirty-eight

noun

thir·​ty-eight ˌthər-tē-ˈāt How to pronounce thirty-eight (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to Aberdeen Research, a company will spend thirty-eight million dollars a year on unplanned downtime costs, primarily due to human error ( Ryan Arsenault, 2016). Matt Randolph, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 The winners, chosen by an anonymous five-person panel, range in age from thirty-eight to eighty-two and were selected based on their demonstrated commitment to their respective practices, their unique contributions to their fields, and the consistently high quality of their work. News Desk, Artforum, 8 July 2025 Among young Republicans, defined as those born after 1980, the margin was thirty-eight points. Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 May 2025 Intisar, who was thirty-eight, was jovial and well known around the neighborhood for having two pairs of twins. Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025 Pedro Escobar Blanco, one of two hundred and thirty-eight Venezuelans deported by the Trump Administration to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador on March 15th, never met the lawyer who is representing him in U.S. immigration court. Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 2 May 2025 But crowds of the devout held nightly recitations of the Rosary in St. Peter’s Square, and he was finally discharged on Sunday, March 23rd, after thirty-eight days. Paul Elie, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2025 John Barelli worked in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s security department for thirty-eight years and served as its chief from 2001 until 2016. Alex Scordelis, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025 Gaga is thirty-eight now—a grande dame in pop years. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thirty-eight was circa 1541

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Cite this Entry

“Thirty-eight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thirty-eight. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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