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

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

The street was rocking like the steamer of the summer twice gone by as it pitched through the "roaring forties."

From A Tame Surrender, A Story of The Chicago Strike by King, Charles