decade

[ dek-eyd; British also duh-keyd ]

/ ˈdɛk eɪd; British also dəˈkeɪd /

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noun

a period of ten years: the three decades from 1776 to 1806.

a period of ten years beginning with a year whose last digit is zero: the decade of the 1980s.

a group, set, or series of ten.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of decade

1425–75; late Middle English <Middle French <Late Latin decad- (stem of decas) <Greek dekad- (stem of dekás) group of ten, equivalent to dék(a) ten + -ad--ade²

OTHER WORDS FROM decade

half-decade, noun

Words nearby decade

debutante, debye, dec-, deca-, decadal, decade, decadelong, decadence, decadent, decadrachm, Decadron

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decade in a sentence

Within a decade or so, business schools had begun to teach that the purpose of business is to maximize “shareholder value,” a mantra that eventually rang out from practically every company boardroom.
The ghost of Milton Friedman will haunt the markets until companies fix CEO pay|Judith Samuelson|September 16, 2020|Quartz
IBM is feeling confident enough in its abilities that it is unveiling its full quantum hardware roadmap for the decade ahead.
IBM plans a huge leap in superfast quantum computing by 2023|rhhackettfortune|September 15, 2020|Fortune
Indeed, with electric vehicles cutting into oil demand by the end of the decade, it may never fully recover.
Big Oil’s hopes are pinned on plastics. It won’t end well.|David Roberts|September 4, 2020|Vox
After literal decades of looking up at Brady and the Patriots, their fellow AFC East teams can sense that a new era may be at hand.
Newton Can Replace Brady, But Can The Pats Replace Half Of Their Defense?|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 3, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

The more we looked over the past couple of decades, the more prevalent fresh produce is as a source of foodborne illness.
The Salmonella Outbreaks Among Peaches and Onions, Explained|Jenny G. Zhang|August 28, 2020|Eater
Yet for a vivid decade or so, sleaze was, somewhat paradoxically, a force for literacy and empowerment.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Who are some younger popular historians that you think will be a lot better known a decade from now?
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Who knew that “we shall overcome” meant “we, the few, shall book covers every decade or so, maybe, sometimes, if we are in style.”
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And black fury toward cops today is fueled by historic economic disparities and by the economic disaster of the past decade plus.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters|James Poulos|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Beyoncé has, for close to a decade now, been a deity in entertainment: untouchable, successful, divine.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the past decade, the population of three cities has been materially increased through annexation.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
Approximately 216,900 persons became residents of Virginia during this decade.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
We do not know when Chrétien wrote the Erec, but it was almost certainly some time in the decade 1150-60.
The Three Days' Tournament|Jessie L. Weston
The advancing sand gradually crept into the hamlet, and in the course of a decade dispossessed the people by burying their houses.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
He lived indeed through its first decade, but his active life was over before it began.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton

British Dictionary definitions for decade

decade

/ (ˈdɛkeɪd, dɪˈkeɪd) /

noun

a period of ten consecutive years

a group or series of ten

Derived forms of decade

decadal, adjective

Word Origin for decade

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

decade

Origin of decade

OTHER WORDS FROM decade

Words nearby decade

Words related to decade

How to use decade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decade

Derived forms of decade

Word Origin for decade