seventy

noun

sev·​en·​ty ˈse-vən-tē How to pronounce seventy (audio)
ˈse-bᵊm-,
-dē
plural seventies
1
: a number equal to seven times 10 see Table of Numbers
2
seventies plural : the numbers 70 to 79
specifically : the years 70 to 79 in a lifetime or century
3
capitalized : a Mormon elder ordained for missionary work under the apostles
seventieth
ˈse-vən-tē-əth How to pronounce seventy (audio)
ˈse-bᵊm-
-dē-
adjective or noun
seventy adjective
seventy pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of seventy in a Sentence

She is in her seventies.
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.
In the early moments of the film, written and directed by Elijah Bynum, everything about the fashion, the setting, and the subject suggests the late seventies. Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025 Williams' completion percentage last season was just 62.5%, much lower than the top guys who hovered around the high sixties and low seventies. Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 This iconic lounge and dance club in the Buckhead area of Atlanta sees a bustling crowd of patrons of all ages, from twenty-somethings to seasoned regulars in their sixties and seventies. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025 British media reported that the couple, in their seventies, had been running projects in schools in Afghanistan for 18 years, deciding to stay even after the Taliban seized power. USA Today, 29 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for seventy

Word History

Etymology

seventy, adjective, from Middle English, from Old English seofontig, short for hundseofontig, from hundseofontig, noun, group of seventy, from hund hundred + seofon seven + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seventy was in the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Seventy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seventy. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

seventy

noun
sev·​en·​ty ˈsev-ən-tē How to pronounce seventy (audio)
plural seventies
: a number equal to seven times 10 see number
seventieth adjective or noun
seventy adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on seventy

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