fifty

American  

[fif-tee] / ˈfɪf ti /

noun

• fifties
  plural

1. a cardinal number, ten times five.

2. a symbol for this number, as 50 or L.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. fifties, the numbers, years, degrees, or the like, from 50 through 59, as in referring to numbered streets, indicating the years of a lifetime or of a century, or degrees of temperature.

   She lives in the East Fifties. He's in his late fifties. It's going to be in the fifties again today.

5. Informal. a fifty-dollar bill.

   He had a fifty and two tens in his wallet.

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adjective

1. amounting to 50 in number.

fifty British  

/ ˈfɪftɪ /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five

2. a numeral, 50, L, etc, representing this number

3. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 50 units

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to fifty

      fifty people

   2. ( as pronoun )

      fifty should be sufficient

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fifties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fifty

before 900; Middle English; Old English fīftig. See five, -ty ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fifty fifties

To investigate this connection, the team studied a large multicenter group consisting of fifty patients and one hundred brain hemispheres.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Buttler came into this match on a run of 18 consecutive innings without a fifty in T20 internationals, during which time he was averaging 15.16.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

He blunders on Warren Buffett, stating that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, hasn’t made a garment “in over fifty years,” but the company only closed its textile operations 41 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

It would have been "virtually impossible" for such exceptional temperatures to occur in June fifty years ago, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

They’d gone another fifty paces when Torak stopped so abruptly that she walked into him.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

A surfer in his fifties was rushed to hospital on Monday after being bitten by a shark in Western Australia, the state government and local ambulance service said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Bethell, who also bowls part-time spin, could replace Lawrence, or regain his place from Jordan Cox, who has impressed with two fifties while filling in for Bethell at number three.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Steven Andersen, in his fifties, the grandson of a Norwegian immigrant to the United States, was wearing the vibrant red jersey of Norway's team and drinking in the scene in a bar.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

"He'll be out in his fifties," says Izzy's younger sister, Georgina.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

General Dreedle, the wing commander, was a blunt, chunky, barrel-chested man in his early fifties.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller