thirty-two

noun

thir·​ty-two ˌthər-tē-ˈtü How to pronounce thirty-two (audio)
1
: a number that is one more than 31 see Table of Numbers
2
: a .32 caliber handgun
usually written .32
thirty-two adjective
thirty-two pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of thirty-two 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.
Never mind that the Bills had been favored to win that game by more than a touchdown, or that, before the start of the season, oddsmakers had ranked the Bills among the top eight teams, out of thirty-two, most likely to win the Super Bowl. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025 On June 20, 1979, President Jimmy Carter—sporting a bushy haircut and a wide necktie—invited dignitaries and reporters onto the roof of the White House to watch the installation of thirty-two solar water-heating panels. Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024 Israel allegedly detonated the devices remotely, wounding more than three thousand people and killing thirty-two, including two children. Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 The horrific deaths of thirty-two Mexican guest farmworkers, or braceros, in California in 1963 put the nail in the coffin of an already-controversial labor program. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 30 Nov. 2024 He was replaced by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s longest-serving leader, who helmed the organization for thirty-two years, until his death in a ferocious Israeli bombardment on Beirut in September. Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024 The buck proved to be a seven-pointer, an ancient fellow with a main beam of twenty-eight inches, and a spread of thirty-two. Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024 The poll saw the lead Biden (who had not yet withdrawn his candidacy) had among such voters drop thirty-two points, down to sixteen points from forty-eight in 2020. Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 Christmas in Asheville, over the past thirty-two years, has grown to be quite synonymous with gingerbread. Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thirty-two was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near thirty-two

Cite this Entry

“Thirty-two.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thirty-two. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!