fifty

noun

fif·​ty ˈfif-tē 

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

ˈfif-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

fifty adjective

fifty pronoun, plural in construction

fiftyish

ˈfif-tē-ish 

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

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

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

Phrases Containing fifty

• fifty-fifty

Kids Definition

fifty

noun

fif·​ty ˈfif-tē 

plural fifties

: a number equal to five times 10 see number

fiftieth

-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

fifty adjective or pronoun