fifty

noun

fif·​ty ˈfif-tē How to pronounce fifty (audio)
plural fifties
1
: a number equal to five times 10 see Table of Numbers
2
fifties plural : the numbers 50 to 59
specifically : the years 50 to 59 in a lifetime or century
3
: a 50-dollar bill
fiftieth adjective or noun
fifty adjective
fifty pronoun, plural in construction
fiftyish adjective

Examples of fifty in a Sentence

She is in her fifties. The bill for dinner came to $43, and she gave him a fifty.
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.
Partly because of the Administration’s projects, the building-trades unions have added fifty thousand new members in the past year—their most significant growth since the fifties. Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 Bianca seems to at least be in her thirties, which would most likely mean her aunt is in her fifties or sixties. Marah Eakin, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024 Two weeks later, the Office of His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III released an official statement explaining that Dorje Chang and his wife, Yuhua Wang, also in her fifties, died together at a Las Vegas residence. Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024 Meanwhile, the share of people getting married for the first time in their forties and fifties quadrupled between 1990 and 2019. Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fifty 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from fifty, adjective, from Old English fīftig, from fīftig, noun, group of 50, from fīf five + -tig group of ten; akin to tīen ten

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fifty was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fifty

Cite this Entry

“Fifty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fifty. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

fifty

noun
fif·​ty ˈfif-tē How to pronounce fifty (audio)
plural fifties
: a number equal to five times 10 see number
fiftieth adjective or noun
fifty adjective or pronoun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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