Meanings
- A human lifespan.
Our four score and ten are a mere twelve or thirteen years to a dog.
2010, Jay Cassell, The Best Hunting Stories Ever Told, page 5402 more examples
I have completed my four-score-and-ten, but physical age seems to be less important than life insurance statistics would indicate.
2014, Ernest Dichter, Getting Motivated, page ixwhen I was in the Army there were some guys who said they'd rather die in combat— go down fighting— than live out their four score and ten.
2019, Kate Atkinson, Big Sky, →ISBN, page 300
Origin
From the Bible, in which King David is supposed to have lived three score and ten (70) years.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
four score and ten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/four%20score%20and%20ten
“four score and ten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/four%20score%20and%20ten. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “four score and ten,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/four%20score%20and%20ten.
Source: four score and ten on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.