Forty is a number. It is the number after thirty-nine and before forty-one. People use it for counting things.
I have forty books on my shelf.
There are forty students in the class.
Forty can mean how many years old a person is. For example, when someone is forty, they have lived for 40 years.
She will be forty next month.
He turned forty yesterday.
Forty is a word used to talk about a big 40-ounce bottle of a strong alcoholic drink. People often say 'a forty' when they mean this bottle.
He bought a forty to share with friends.
They drank a forty at the party.
Forty can mean a special period of time lasting that many days or years. In stories like the Bible, forty shows a long, important time.
It rained for forty days and forty nights.
He wandered in the desert for forty years.
Sometimes, forty means a large or many number, not exactly 40. People use it to say 'lots of' in speech or writing.
There were forty reasons to try again.
She gave me forty good ideas.
In some military language, a 'forty' is a group of forty soldiers. It shows the size of the unit or team in the army.
The commander led a forty into battle.
A forty stood guard at the gate.
Forty is sometimes used to talk about people who are between 40 and 49 years old. This word can mean an adult in that age group.
She is a forty who loves sports.
Forties face different challenges than twenties.
