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
Dave Byrne… smoking weed and drinking 40s while her kids run loose.—Jim Schutze
Jim Schutze
forty
adjective
forty
pronoun, plural in construction
Examples of forty in a Sentence
The temperature outside is in the high forties.
She is in her forties.
Recent Examples on the Web
Donald Trump in 2020 is the closest example and even his approval ratings were usually in the forties.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 4 July 2024
Psychos and Perfect Moms In my novel, Bad Tourists, Kate, Camilla and Darcy are friends in their forties who go to the Maldives to celebrate a divorce.
—Caro Carver, Peoplemag, 4 July 2024
New research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Chicago found that a nutritious diet begun in a person's forties may foster healthy aging and independent living decades later.
—Don Rauf, EverydayHealth.com, 2 July 2024
We were very inspired by the eyewear that our grandparents wore in the forties and fifties.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for forty 
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 4 July 2024
Psychos and Perfect Moms In my novel, Bad Tourists, Kate, Camilla and Darcy are friends in their forties who go to the Maldives to celebrate a divorce.
—Caro Carver, Peoplemag, 4 July 2024
New research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Chicago found that a nutritious diet begun in a person's forties may foster healthy aging and independent living decades later.
—Don Rauf, EverydayHealth.com, 2 July 2024
We were very inspired by the eyewear that our grandparents wore in the forties and fifties.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for forty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Forty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forty. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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