decade

American  

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

noun

• decades
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• half-decade
  noun
• decadal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• decades
  plural

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

See Examples For:

decade decades

During his playing career, he featured at almost every youth level for his nation before winning 13 caps for a Belgium side that featured a long list of world-class talents for well over a decade.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Ford’s interest in energy storage comes as its auto business is smaller than it was a decade ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Hammerhead sharks typically prefer warmer waters than those found in Southern California, and the last sighting near the coast was over a decade ago, according to the iNaturalist species-sighting database.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

She achieved international fame that decade with the release of her "Total Eclipse" mega-hit, which topped the charts in the United States and Britain.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

However, over the following decade more settlers poured over the Appalachians.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Brown, a former member of the UK military, said the Fleadh highlighted how much Northern Ireland has changed over the past few decades.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Job cuts are difficult for families, he said, but the new project offers "a unique opportunity" for the city to "position itself in a much better way" for the decades ahead.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

A French writer is recognized by a Jewish survivor decades after helping him: “You were my goy-scout!”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The fact that the fossils had been collected decades earlier shows how much scientific information can remain hidden in museum collections.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

After decades of mixing with the soil underneath and becoming enriched by animal and plant decomposition, the ash and mud were finally able to support large plants.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone