Fourscore Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

fourscore American [fawr-skawr, fohr-skohr] / ˈfɔrˈskɔr, ˈfoʊrˈskoʊr /

adjective

1. four times twenty; eighty.

fourscore British / ˌfɔːˈskɔː /

determiner

1. an archaic word for eighty

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fourscore

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; four, score

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.

The fourscore felines are shy but ready to be taken in by cat lovers, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

From Los Angeles Times

In the words of the Psalms, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow.”

From The Guardian

A survey of the fourscore movies officially selected by their nations for Oscar consideration in the foreign-language film category offers both idiosyncratic perspectives and surprisingly familiar approaches.

From Los Angeles Times

The kings and common folk, courtiers and soldiers in these productions add up to threescore or fourscore.

From New York Times

At 78, Mr. Petherbridge, hasn’t quite reached fourscore, but he’s had a long and eventful career.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.