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Four Hundred

or 400

See more synonyms for Four Hundred on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the exclusive social set of a city or area.
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Origin of Four Hundred

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; allegedly after the capacity of the ballroom in the mansion of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, a leader of New York society in the late 19th century
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for four hundred

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He arrived in a four-hundred dollar suit and a fifty-dollar tie.

    The Mind Digger

    Winston Marks

  • All the rules of etiquette, as prescribed for the four-hundred, were suspended.

  • That same evening we set out for Berdiczov—four-hundred haidemaken, with the culverin.

  • The pigskin envelope contained a little less than four-hundred dollars, mostly in gold Treasury certificates.

    The Bandbox

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • Angrily Mitch keyed the carrier wave, screwed the button tightly down, and kicked on the four-hundred cycle modulator.

    Way of a Rebel

    Walter M. Miller

British Dictionary definitions for four hundred

Four Hundred

noun
  1. the Four Hundred US the most exclusive or affluent social clique in a particular place
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012