twenty-two

noun

twen·​ty-two ˈtwen-tē-ˈtü 

ˈtwən-

1

: a number that is one more than 21 see Table of Numbers

2

: a .22-caliber firearm

especially : one firing rimfire cartridges

—usually written .22

twenty-two adjective

twenty-two pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of twenty-two in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What will happen if that number hits ten per cent, and if there’s more robust evidence that the emerging technological powers in this country have decided that employees between the ages of twenty-two and thirty are no longer in their plans? — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026

European clients ordered the domestic panorama in custom sizes for the parlor and hung twenty-two arrangeable panels of distant islands and homogenized races draped in foliage and Neoclassical dress—the first garden, before knowing arrived. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

Marcus spent twenty-two years building a manufacturing business from scratch. — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

To date, forty-six cases of the illness have been reported, with twenty-two victims hospitalized. — News Desk, Artforum, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for twenty-two

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue

Kids Definition

twenty-two

noun

ˌtwent-ē-ˈtü

1

: a firearm cartridge of .22 caliber

2

: a firearm of .22 caliber