fifteen

[fif-teen]

noun

1. a cardinal number, ten plus five.

2. a symbol for this number, as 15 or XV.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

adjective

1. amounting to 15 in number.

fifteen

¹

/ ˈfɪfˈtiːn /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and five

2. a numeral, 15, XV, etc, representing this number

3. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 15 units

4. a rugby union football team

determiner

1. 1. amounting to fifteen

      fifteen jokes

   2. ( as pronoun )

      fifteen of us danced

Fifteen

²

/ ˈfɪfˈtiːn /

noun

1. history the Jacobite rising of 1715

Word History and Origins

Origin of fifteen¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English fiftene. See five, -teen

Word History and Origins

Origin of fifteen¹

Old English fīftēne

Example Sentences

Huw Morgan, co-owner of the Wynnstay Hotel, said he had received regular complaints about the clock which chimes every fifteen minutes, adding he was unsatisfied by how the council had dealt with the concerns.

From BBC

Another message read to the jury which was sent by Mr Saunders said "I'll send you that bloke's number and you can get your fifteen hundred back".

From BBC

Using up to six electric pumps per boat, the smugglers can often finish the job in less than fifteen minutes.

From BBC

To underline the renewed urgency, a senior Israeli military official has said that there was information that Iran had enough material to make fifteen nuclear bombs within days.

From BBC

On the Underground Garage Cruise, all shows are a short walk away and run from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

Spelling tips for fifteen

The word fifteen is hard to spell because it doesn’t simply combine the spelling of the base number, five, with the suffix -teen, as is done in other easy-to-remember spellings like fourteen and sixteen.  How to spell fifteen: When five is combined with suffixes, the ve is turned into an f: fifteen (not fiveteen), fifty (not fivety), and fifth (not fiveth). Remember: there’s no v in fifteen.