twenty

[ twen-tee, twuhn- ]

noun

, plural twen·ties.

1. a cardinal number, 10 times 2.
2. a symbol for this number, as 20 or XX.
3. a set of this many persons or things.
4. Informal. a twenty-dollar bill:

   Can you give me two tens for a twenty?

5. twenties, the numbers, years, degrees, or the like, from 20 through 29, as in referring to numbered streets, indicating the years of a lifetime or of a century, or referring to degrees of temperature:

   He lives in the West Twenties. She's in her early twenties. The temperature must be in the high twenties today.

6. Also 20. Slang. location; ten-twenty ( def ):

   What’s your twenty?

adjective

1. amounting to 20 in number.

twenty

/ ˈtwɛntɪ /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the product of ten and two; a score See also number
2. a numeral, 20, XX, etc, representing this number
3. something representing, represented by, or consisting of 20 units

determiner

1. 1. amounting to twenty

      twenty questions

   2. ( as pronoun )

      to order twenty

Word History and Origins

Origin of twenty¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English twēntig; cognate with Old Frisian tw(e)intich, Old High German zweinzug ( German zwanzig ), Gothic twai tigjus two tens

Word History and Origins

Origin of twenty¹

Old English twēntig ; related to Old High German zweinzug , German zwanzig

Example Sentences

Few would bet against that number reaching well into the twenties before his work in the city is done.

From BBC

Meanwhile, Mahama spent his twenties and thirties studying - he got a Communication Studies degree from the University of Ghana before studying at Moscow's Institute of Social Sciences.

From BBC

Now in her late twenties, Ms Wright spoke to Woman's Hour's about her experience as part of this week's Forgotten Children series looking at the impact on children when a parent goes to prison.

From BBC

She said it wasn’t until her 18th birthday and into her early twenties that she gave serious thought about searching for her dad.

From BBC

The dialogue prompted BBC Radio 4's Today programme presenter Nick Robinson to interview his daughter, Alice, a teacher in her late twenties, about how often she felt unsafe.

From BBC