twenty

American  

[twen-tee, twuhn-] / ˈtwɛn ti, ˈtwʌn- /

noun

plural

twenties

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. Slang. Also 20 location; ten-twenty.

   What’s your twenty?

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adjective

1. amounting to 20 in number.

twenty British  

/ 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

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to twenty

      twenty questions

   2. ( as pronoun )

      to order twenty

Etymology

Origin of twenty

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

Example Sentences

Twenty years ago, the grim and creatively valorous third season thrust the story’s human heroes into the role of insurgents.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

Twenty of the apartments are to be designated affordable for very low-income and moderate-income tenants, which forced the city to approve the project, some leaders said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Twenty years later, with magazines on their last legs, Anna, er, Miranda, is already diminished.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

Twenty one of the 24 different horses to have won this century have all registered at least one career win over three or more miles before winning the National.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Twenty dollars was more than what had been my weekly paycheck.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros