forty-eight

[ fawr-tee-eyt ]

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. the forty-eight, Informal. the conterminous United States ( def ):

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

adjective

1. amounting to 48 in number:

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

Example Sentences

Forty-eight works from 37 artists, including 18 women, are on display, and the selection is eclectic.

From The Daily Beast

Forty-eight hours before, I had been in a helicopter that was getting shot at in Iraq.

From The Daily Beast

Forty-eight percent of the poll respondents said the average American consumes too many natural resources.

From The Daily Beast

Forty eight  percent say it makes them anxious, 44 percent say it makes them upset, and 30 percent say it makes them angry.

From The Daily Beast

Forty-eight percent say they are pro-life, while 46 percent say they are pro-choice.

From The Daily Beast

Unless they are going to have an August push in France they might at least have lent us forty-eight 4.5 hows.

From Project Gutenberg

The man would not die if left where he was for another forty-eight hours, or even longer.

From Project Gutenberg

Day by day English and Russian reinforcements poured into Holland, till at last they numbered forty-eight thousand.

From Project Gutenberg

Isidoro Midel is an interesting character, apparently about forty-eight years of age.

From Project Gutenberg

I laughed when I thought how there were nine of him working in twelve places at once—or was it twenty-four—or maybe forty-eight.

From Project Gutenberg