forty

noun

for·​ty ˈfȯr-tē 

plural forties

1

: a number equal to four times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

forties plural : the numbers 40 to 49

specifically : the years 40 to 49 in a lifetime or century

3

: the third point scored by a side in a game of tennis

4

or 40 US, informal : a forty-ounce bottle or other container of an alcoholic beverage (such as beer or malt liquor)

Kelvin finished his forty in seven or eight long gulps. Tossed the bottle in the median carpeted with brown grass.

—Dave Byrne

… smoking weed and drinking 40s while her kids run loose.

—Jim Schutze

fortieth

ˈfȯr-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

forty adjective

forty pronoun, plural in construction

fortyish

ˈfȯr-tē-ish 

adjective

Examples of forty in a Sentence

The temperature outside is in the high forties.

She is in her forties.

Recent Examples on the Web

Per the study, the percentage of female characters plummeted from 35 percent in their thirties to 16 percent in their forties. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025

Hemingway was at that moment, in the late forties, by several leagues the most famous and revered of American writers, not merely a literary figure but a national one, for his engagement with the Spanish Civil War and then with the liberation of Paris. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025

Paul wants someone at the age of twelve, and then in his mid to late forties wants someone else. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025

There's another gentleman, maybe in his forties with a tan complexion. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fourty, adjective, from Old English fēowertig, from fēowertig group of 40, from fēower four + -tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing forty

• forty-five
• forty-niner
• forty winks

Kids Definition

forty

noun

for·​ty ˈfȯrt-ē 

plural forties

: a number equal to four times 10 see number

fortieth

-ē-əth 

adjective or noun

forty adjective or pronoun

fortyish

-ē-ish 

adjective