forty-eight

American  

[fawr-tee-eyt] / ˈfɔr tiˈeɪt /

noun

1. a cardinal number, 40 plus 8.

2. a symbol for this number, such as 48 or XLVIII.

3. a set of 48 persons or things.

   Of the two parties that reserved a private room tonight, the forty-eight is the larger, so put them in the east dining room just off the lounge.

4. Informal. the forty-eight, the conterminous United States.

   Crossing the border into Alberta, Canada, was the first time he’d ventured beyond the forty-eight.

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adjective

1. amounting to 48 in number.

   So far, forty-eight students have registered for soccer.

Example Sentences

These diesel-electric subs could cruise underwater on battery power for up to forty-eight hours, but to recharge they needed to approach the surface, take in oxygen, and run their diesel engines.

From Literature

“This poor girl’s had an arduous forty-eight hours. The least we can do is let her catch her breath.”

From Literature

Along with James Monroe, the fifth president, these men held office for forty of the first forty-eight years of the American presidency.

From Literature

At the Louvre, well over one hundred thousand visitors filed past the portrait in the first forty-eight hours.

From Literature

There were more earthquakes here in Alaska than anywhere in the lower forty-eight states, even California.

From Literature