decade

[ dek-eyd; British also duh-keyd ]

noun

1. a period of ten years:

   the three decades from 1776 to 1806.

2. a period of ten years beginning with a year whose last digit is zero:

   the decade of the 1980s.

3. a group, set, or series of ten.

decade

/ dɪˈkeɪd; ˈdɛkeɪd /

noun

1. a period of ten consecutive years
2. a group or series of ten

Derived Forms

• deˈcadal, adjective

Other Words From

• half-decade noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of decade¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin decad-, stem of decas, from Greek dekás “group of ten”; equivalent to deca- + -ade ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of decade¹

C15: from Old French, from Late Latin decad-, decas, from Greek dekas, from deka ten

Example Sentences

According to a Monthly Abortion Provision Study, researchers found that the number of abortions in the U.S. increased by 10 percent in 2023 compared to 2020 and that year, abortion numbers were at their highest in over a decade.

From Salon

After nearly a decade of this, though, anyone who has bet good money on elected Republicans standing up to Trump has already gone broke.

From Salon

For them, it was an epic loss, one that Ann Coulter, Tucker Carlson and others would still be mourning a decade later.

From Salon

A decade on, aged 50, Smyth had established himself as a respected member of the Christian community in Zimbabwe.

From BBC

By the next decade, Japanese flower farmers were growing them across the Southland; the species was able to survive on little water and stretched up to five feet tall.

From Los Angeles Times