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

Retirement savings have decades to compound and may need to support him and his wife for 30 years or more, making the tax break more valuable.

From The Wall Street Journal

Researchers value the decades of writing by former Mao personal secretary Li Rui for providing a rare insider’s view of relationships and discussions at the top levels of the Chinese Communist Party.

From The Wall Street Journal

Over the next six decades, as the glacier retreated, the wedge expanded into a long finger, and the size of the lake grew twelvefold.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was the first fatal crash for Air Canada in more than four decades.

From BBC

Over the next decades, questions on language, literacy and occupation were refined, adding secondary work and dependency details.

From BBC