Meaning & use
four hundred
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Meanings
number
The number equal to four times one hundred; 400.
Grammar: Used before a noun without 'of': four hundred people. When not followed by a noun, it can take 'of': four hundred of them.
Patterns
- four hundred people
- four hundred of something
- a four-hundred-page book
The stadium holds four hundred people.
She paid four hundred dollars for the flight.
Four hundred of the students signed the petition.
nounusually singularold-fashioned
A group of four hundred things or people, especially in the phrase 'the Four Hundred' referring to a social elite.
Grammar: Usually with 'the': the Four Hundred. Capitalized when referring to the historical New York society group.
Patterns
- the Four Hundred
In the late 1800s, the Four Hundred were considered New York's most prominent families.
The guest list was limited to the Four Hundred.
Common combinations
- four hundred people
- Four hundred people attended the concert.
- four hundred dollars
- The rent is four hundred dollars a week.
- four hundred years
- The castle is over four hundred years old.
- the Four Hundred
- The Four Hundred were the elite of New York society in the 1890s.
Synonyms and how they differ
- 400
- The numeral form, used in writing figures or in technical contexts.
Word family
Commonly confused: four hundred or for hundred?
four hundred vs for hundred
A common spelling mistake: 'for' is a preposition, while 'four' is the number.
Practice
Choose the correct phrase: There are ______ students in the program.
Choose one answer.
"Four hundred" is correct because hundred does not take -s when it follows a number and is followed by a noun. "Four hundreds" is wrong because we say 'four hundred,' not 'four hundreds' in this pattern. "Four hundred of" would need a pronoun or article after it (e.g., 'four hundred of them').
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “four hundred”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.