forty
gb/fˈɔɹti/ us/fˈɔɹti/
A1
Engels
~ 7800
Betekenissen
0 betekenissen
adjective
A1
property
1
the cardinal number 40
The number 40, written in words.
Gebruikspatroon:
forty [countable plural noun]
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners often misspell "forty" as "fourty" and sometimes confuse it with "fourteen" in listening. Also, they may mix up "forty" (40) with "fortieth" (40th, the ordinal form).
Synoniemen
40 (The digit form; used in writing numbers, especially in technical or informal contexts.)
Antoniemen
thirty (A smaller nearby number often contrasted with forty in everyday talk.)
Woordcombinaties
forty years
|forty minutes
|forty people
|forty dollars
|forty percent
Thema's
numbers
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|quantity
Voorbeelden
- She invited about forty people to the party.
- The drive takes around forty minutes without traffic.
- He lost forty dollars at the casino last night.
- The company has over forty employees now.
- Only forty percent of the students passed the exam.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- There are forty students in my class.
- My father is forty years old.
- We waited for forty minutes.
- She bought forty eggs for the big dinner.
- The bus is late by forty minutes.
Zelfstandig naamwoord
A2
quantity
2
the number 40 itself
The number 40 when you talk about it as a thing, like in math or counting.
Gebruikspatroon:
the number forty
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners may confuse the noun "forty" with the adjective use. When it is the subject (e.g., "Forty is an even number"), it is functioning as a noun.
Synoniemen
the number 40 (Explicit phrase often used in teaching or explanations.)
Antoniemen
the number 0 (Represents no quantity, the opposite end of a scale from forty.)
Woordcombinaties
the number forty
|Forty is
|divided by forty
|page forty
Thema's
numbers
|education
|core_vocabulary
|quantity
Voorbeelden
- Forty is an even number.
- If you add ten to thirty, you get forty.
- The answer should be exactly forty, not forty-one.
- Forty is four times ten.
- Please turn to page forty in your books.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- Forty is an even number.
- Ten times four is forty.
- Thirty plus ten is forty.
- Forty comes after thirty‑nine.
- The teacher wrote "forty" on the board.
Zelfstandig naamwoord
B1
state
3
ages between 40 and 49
The years of life from 40 to 49 years old.
Gebruikspatroon:
in [someone]'s forties
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes say "in his forty" instead of the correct "in his forties." Also, they may confuse "in his forties" (age) with "in the forties" (years in a century).
Synoniemen
middle age (Covers a wider range of ages, not only forty to forty‑nine.)
Antoniemen
twenties (Refers to being much younger, from 20 to 29.)
Woordcombinaties
in your forties
|early forties
|late forties
|mid-forties
Thema's
age
|daily life
|time
|daily_life
Voorbeelden
- She started learning Spanish in her early forties.
- By the time he was in his forties, he had changed careers twice.
- Many people feel more confident in their forties than in their twenties.
- He looks like he’s in his mid‑forties.
- In your forties, health checks become more important.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- My dad is in his forties.
- She looks like she is in her early forties.
- He lost a lot of weight in his forties.
- Many people get new hobbies in their forties.
- People often think about health more in their forties.
Zelfstandig naamwoord
B2
quantity
4
the decade 40–49 in a century
The years from 40 to 49 in a century, especially the years 1940–1949.
Gebruikspatroon:
in the forties
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes confuse "in the forties" (time period in a century) with "in his forties" (a person’s age). The article "the" is important for the decade meaning.
Synoniemen
the 1940s (More specific and explicit, especially in historical writing.)
Antoniemen
the 1950s (The following decade, often contrasted with the forties in history or culture.)
Woordcombinaties
the forties
|early forties
|late forties
|during the forties
Thema's
history
|time
Voorbeelden
- My grandparents got married in the forties.
- The city was heavily bombed during the early forties.
- Fashion in the forties was affected by the war.
- In the late forties, the economy began to recover.
- Many classic films were made in the forties.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- He was born in the forties.
- Life was hard in the forties.
- There was a big war in the early forties.
- Many changes came in the late forties.
- Music in the forties sounded very different from today.
Zelfstandig naamwoord
slang
C1
entity
5
40‑ounce bottle of alcohol
(Informal US) A large bottle with 40 ounces of beer or malt liquor.
Gebruikspatroon:
a forty of [beer/malt liquor]
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners may not realize that "a forty" here is slang and refers to a bottle size, not just the number 40. It is mainly used in North American informal speech.
Synoniemen
forty‑ounce (More explicit about the size; can be used as a noun or adjective.)
Antoniemen
small bottle (A general opposite in size; refers to a typical single beer bottle, not a 40‑ounce one.)
Woordcombinaties
drink a forty
|buy a forty
|open a forty
|a forty of malt liquor
Thema's
drinks
|slang
|food_drink
|daily_life
Voorbeelden
- He picked up a forty on the way to the party.
- They were sitting on the steps, passing around a forty.
- The store doesn’t sell forties after midnight.
- He showed up with two forties and a bag of chips.
- You can’t drink a forty in the park; it’s against the rules.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
- He bought a forty from the corner shop.
- They shared a forty outside the store.
- You cannot drink a forty on the street here.
- He finished a whole forty by himself.
- She put the forty in the fridge to get cold.
Grammatica
Lemmavorm
forty
IPA
GB/fˈɔɹti/
US/fˈɔɹti/
Lettergrepen en klemtoon
forty (1 lettergreep)
Stress on 1st syllable (forty)
Woordvormen
Adjective
- Base: forty
- Comparative: fortier
- Superlative: fortiest
Noun
- Base: forty
- Plural: forties
Woordfamilie
Uitdrukkingen
forty-something
1/fˈɔɹti sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
person aged between 40 and 49
A man or woman who is between 40 and 49 years old.
Voorbeelden
- The company is looking for a forty-something with management experience.
- She’s a stylish forty-something who runs her own business.
life begins at forty
1/lˈaɪf bɪɡˈɪnz ˈæt fˈɔɹti/
fixed phrase
idea that life improves at forty
People say this to mean that life can become happier, more free, or more interesting when you are around forty years old.
Voorbeelden
- She got divorced, changed careers, and started traveling—life begins at forty, as they say.
- He likes to joke that life begins at forty because that’s when he finally found a job he loves.
forty winks
1/fˈɔɹti wˈɪŋks/
idiom
informal
a short, light sleep
A short sleep, usually taken during the day or when you are a little tired, not for the whole night.
Voorbeelden
- I’m exhausted; I just need forty winks before we go out.
- I’m going to grab forty winks before the party starts.
- He grabbed forty winks on the sofa during his lunch break.
- He lay down on the sofa for forty winks after lunch.
- Let me have forty winks, then I’ll finish the report.
- You look exhausted—try to get forty winks while the baby is sleeping.