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• roaring forties
  roaring forties

  plural noun

  either of two areas in the ocean between 40° and 50° N or S latitude, noted for high winds and rough seas.
• Roaring Forties
  Roaring Forties

  plural noun

  nautical the areas of ocean between 40° and 50° latitude in the S Hemisphere, noted for gale-force winds

roaring forties

American  

plural noun

1. either of two areas in the ocean between 40° and 50° N or S latitude, noted for high winds and rough seas.

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Roaring Forties British  

plural noun

1. nautical the areas of ocean between 40° and 50° latitude in the S Hemisphere, noted for gale-force winds

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Etymology

Origin of roaring forties

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

roaring forties Roaring Forties

The roaring forties describes the area between the latitudes 40 and 50 south of the equator - notorious for strong winds.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2023

She adds: "We are on the edge of the roaring forties, we are just a small rock in the middle of the south Atlantic, so we do have some pretty extreme weather."

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2023

His most formidable obstacle was a stretch of black, tempestuous ocean just east of the Cape in the latitudes known forbiddingly as the "roaring forties."

From Time Magazine Archive

Beyond the Cape of Good Hope, the "roaring forties" justified their ill repute.

From Time Magazine Archive

Most tramps can roll, but an empty tanker going west against prevailing winds in the "roaring forties" can certainly give points to the others.

From A Labrador Doctor The Autobiography of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell by Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

Ummenhofer said that recent research indicates the Roaring Forties is strengthening in the summer and shifting south into the region known as the Furious Fifties.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 16, 2019

A knockdown in the Roaring Forties about 400 miles south of the Cape of Good Hope damaged the self-steering.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2019

During the second leg — from Cape Town, through raucous seas whipped up by rocketing winds known as the Roaring Forties, to Sydney, Australia — all the boats were savagely battered.

From New York Times ● May 10, 2016

The fleet is currently deep in the South Atlantic, midway between Brazil and their eventual destination Cape Town, in the notorious high-wind Roaring Forties.

From Reuters ● Nov. 1, 2014

A month later they had weathered the Roaring Forties o£ the North Atlantic.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham