eighty

American  

[ey-tee] / ˈeɪ ti /

noun

• eighties
  plural

1. a cardinal number, ten times eight.

2. a symbol for this number, as 80 or LXXX.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. eighties, the numbers, years, degrees, or the like, from 80 through 89, as in referring to numbered streets, indicating the years of a lifetime or of a century, or degrees of temperature.

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adjective

1. amounting to 80 in number.

eighty British  

/ ˈeɪtɪ /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the product of ten and eight See also number

2. a numeral, 80, LXXX, etc, representing this number

3. (plural) the numbers 80–89, esp a person's age or the year of a particular century

4. the amount or quantity that is eight times as big as ten

5. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 80 units

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to eighty

      eighty pages of nonsense

   2. ( as pronoun )

      eighty are expected

Usage

Spelling tips for 80 The word eighty (80) is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is not spelled the way it sounds [ ey-tee ]. Second, it is tempting to use a double t because the base word (eight) ends in a t and the suffix -ty begins with one.  How to spell eighty: To spell eighty, you start by correctly spelling the first syllable [ ey ]. The easiest way to remember how to spell eigh- is with the classic mnemonic device: “I before E, except after C, except when it’s pronounced like a long A, as in neighbor and weigh.” The collection of letters eigh often makes a long A sound [ ey ].

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• eighties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eighty

before 850; Middle English eighteti, Old English eahtatig. See eight, -ty ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eighty eighties

“A dollar, maybe eighty cents. Just the Italian beef jus poured over bread.”

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025

A survey published last year estimated that Australians worked on average two hundred and eighty one hours of unpaid overtime annually.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2024

“The ‘crypto’ nomenclature may be of recent vintage,” she wrote, “but the challenged transactions fall comfortably within the framework that courts have used to identify securities for nearly eighty years.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2024

Spearthrowers can propel darts over a distance of up to eighty metres.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2023

The town was less than eighty kilometers from Piatra Neamț.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

He was in his eighties when Isis descended on the ancient city.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

And by its early eighties peak, an ounce was worth as much as Gordon Gekko’s custom-made power suit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

When asked why he would want to stay in Washington well into his eighties, Trump said, "I like working."

From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2025

Now in his eighties, Mr Prewer looks back on those years with pride.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025

“But even if Russell had played in the eighties, he would have dominated.”

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan