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.
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roaring forties
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Roaring Forties
Roaring Fortiesplural nounnautical the areas of ocean between 40° and 50° latitude in the S Hemisphere, noted for gale-force winds
roaring forties
Americanplural noun
Roaring Forties
British
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of roaring forties
First recorded in 1875–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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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
In the voyages of the clippers, a crew of more than three dozen seasoned hands was needed to keep a vessel from disaster in the roaring forties.
From Time Magazine Archive
But whether you are a squeamish voyager among books or so hardened that the roaring forties seem like the doldrums, this book will be a portent and a welcome one.
From Time Magazine Archive
And how I wish that I could take you back with me and show you the two miserable old gallipots which M. de Radisson rode into the roaring forties!
From Heralds of Empire Being the Story of One Ramsay Stanhope, Lieutenant to Pierre Radisson in the Northern Fur Trade by Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut
An example is the westerly wind belt that runs between 40 and 50 degrees latitude, known as the Roaring Forties, including the southern Indian Ocean.
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
In December they reached the Roaring Forties of the North Atlantic and groped their way, close hauled, in the teeth of the gales.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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