decade

American  

[dek-eyd, duh-keyd] / ˈdɛk eɪd, dəˈkeɪd /

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.

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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

• decadal adjective
• half-decade noun

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

Example Sentences

"Facebook has not been a priority for the best part of a decade," Schwarzenberger, chief executive and founder of management company Arcade, told BBC News.

From BBC

For others, like this woman who has had a correspondence with the Moneyist for nearly a decade.

From MarketWatch

Heart disease remains the leading killer of both men and women in the U.S., and the new guidance emphasizes that prevention must start decades earlier than traditionally thought.

From MarketWatch

For decades, Econ 101 held that raising the minimum wages killed jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the decade leading up to the pandemic, the NHS had seen its budget squeezed on a historic level.

From BBC