78

American  

[sev-uhn-tee-ayt] / ˈsɛv ən tiˈeɪt /

noun

• 78s,
  plural
• 78's
  plural

1. an early type of shellac-based phonograph record that played at 78 revolutions per minute.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• 78's
  plural
• 78s
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of 78

First recorded in 1950–55

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

78 78's 78s

Merilyn Prentice, 78, is another refugee from the state next door.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

Gomez, 78, was involved in the farmworker movement years ago.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

A FactSet analyst poll had expected operating loss of 5.79 billion euros on revenue of 78 billion euros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

After a turnout of nearly 78 percent, the highest since 1999, Eisenkot said it would be a mistake to hold a second election and vowed to work "swiftly" to form a government.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

One of Kelsey’s reports showed a 97 average, but then she got a 78 on a Spanish test.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

For decades, he had chafed against the 78’s constraints, occasionally recording two- or four-sided works and in concert letting pieces unfold over dozens of minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

Dancing the foxtrot to Katy Perry’s “Unconditionally” and a freestyle dance to District 78’s “Que Calor,” Gomez and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, got perfect scores to secure the top prize.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2023

Whitey Morgan & the 78’s The honky-tonk band performs.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2015

We also have thousands of LP’s, mostly 78’s, and four or five old-fashioned phonographs to play them on, the old kind with the horn and the crank.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2011

In last week's third round Parks got a 73 while Thomson was taking 77, Sarazen and Krueger 78's.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the 78s she left behind, she’s an intriguingly forceful presence—but remote, as if heard from the next room through a paper cup and string.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

What he found in the 78s that Juarez left behind was more than a record collection; they were miniature time capsules from a teenage world bound by friendship, community, and music.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

Often short on money, Strachwitz sold pressings from his collection of old 78s to support his early recording efforts.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023

Mr. Bussard not only collected 78s; he also built a basement studio in his parents’ house in the 1950s to make his own.

From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2022

“Now, Atlantic 78s are red,” Bruder, 65, told me recently.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 11, 2022

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