sixty

[ siks-tee ]

noun

, plural six·ties.

1. a cardinal number, ten times six.
2. a symbol for this number, as 60 or LX.
3. a set of this many persons or things.
4. sixties, the numbers, years, degrees, or the like, from 60 through 69, as in referring to numbered streets, indicating the years of a lifetime or of a century, or noting degrees of temperature:

   Her grandfather is in his late sixties. The temperature is in the low sixties.

adjective

1. amounting to 60 in number.

sixty

/ ˈsɪkstɪ /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the product of ten and six See also number
2. a numeral, 60, LX, etc, representing sixty
3. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 60 units

determiner

1. 1. amounting to sixty

      sixty soldiers

   2. ( as pronoun )

      sixty are dead

Word History and Origins

Origin of sixty¹

before 900; Middle English (adj. and noun), Old English sixtig (adj.); cognate with Dutch zestig, German sechzig, Old Norse sextigir. See six, -ty ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sixty¹

Old English sixtig

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. like sixty, Informal. with great speed, ease, energy, or zest:

   Everyone was working like sixty to finish up before the holidays.

Example Sentences

From early on it was clear this was a man nearing his sixties, who still carried a little power but no stamina.

From BBC

For us, America has only been a democracy for sixty years.

From Salon

With a distinctive trippy blend of rock, folk, and jazz, The Grateful Dead are arguably one of the most influential bands in American history, and wrote the soundtrack for the countercultural generation of the sixties.

From BBC

Nevine leaves the stairwell, and runs to a man probably in his sixties, who is leaning over a pile of bags with his head in his hands.

From BBC

Bell, 82, an acting savant who broke into cinema’s foreground in his sixties, explains that the pages are occupied by a series of questions about the character.

From Los Angeles Times