Trivia Time

Which decade is often associated with flappers, jazz, and speakeasies?

Test Your Knowledge

decade

American  

[dek-ayd, duh-kayd] / ˈdɛk eɪd, dəˈkeɪd /

noun

• decades
  plural

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.

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decade British  

/ dɪˈkeɪd, ˈdɛkeɪd /

noun

1. a period of ten consecutive years

2. a group or series of ten

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-decade
  noun
• decadal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• decades
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of decade

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

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Explanation

She was so nervous to see her high school sweetheart at their reunion: it had been a decade (ten years) since she'd seen him at graduation, and she still got butterflies thinking about him. A decade is a period of ten years. Decade contains dec, which is used in words that have to do with tens. The Marty Paich Dectet was a band with ten players. A decahedron is a shape with ten faces. And the decimal system is based on the number ten.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decade decades

Claire made Jack a promise while he lay in her arms in hospital - and this week she feels like, more than a decade on, she kept that promise.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Over the decade through 2023, sales roughly doubled to more than 320,000 vehicles, thanks to new models such as the Macan SUV and China’s then-insatiable appetite for German luxury cars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Whatever the case, the Dodgers could face the kind of difficult roster choices they often have papered over with money this decade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Between 1979 and 2014, sea ice extent around Antarctica increased by approximately 1 percent per decade.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

A decade later, that number had skyrocketed to more than 40,000 warheads and bombs.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

It had been decades since sharks last patrolled the reef off the coast of Fiji's Naidiri Village, but they returned this year following a community-led effort to protect the fishery and plant thousands of corals.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

"A flagship show deserves flagship facilities, from which both the BBC and the city of Birmingham would benefit for decades," the letter said.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The terms of the controversy over higher education hardly changed for three or four decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The remains were one of several found that summer at Lake Mead, where water levels have been declining for decades, but his identity remained a mystery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Luckily for you, Redwood Farm Supply has invested decades of research in developing feed that meets your birds’ needs perfectly; you must choose the correct type to purchase.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones

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