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

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

The group also approached Providence Village, a planned community in North Texas that Martinez de Vara had helped to incorporate more than a decade earlier.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

“Jay was in a really difficult situation,” said Loretta Mester, who as president of the Cleveland Fed from 2014 to 2024 served alongside Powell for a decade.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

I covered the Michael Jackson saga for over a decade.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

That means there is a strong likelihood the council will be run by a joint administration for the first time in more than a decade.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

In the meantime the clock was ticking as we drew closer and closer to the end of the decade in which President Kennedy had promised we would put a man on the moon.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson