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

But it dimmed in the decades following his initial success.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s just that I wasn’t saving enough, leaving me to play catch-up over the last decade by contributing way more.

From MarketWatch

Ellison labored for decades on a second novel—published posthumously in 1999 as “Juneteenth”—and also wrote two brilliant essay collections.

From The Wall Street Journal

Boone added a natural-foods division to the company about a decade ago to focus on healthy snacking.

From The Wall Street Journal

The condo market hasn’t been this bad in over a decade.

From MarketWatch