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

China’s oil purchases remain at their lowest level in nearly a decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

When we meet Leonie, a travel writer in her early 30s, and Max, a translator almost a decade older, they have been a couple for four years but still keep separate apartments in Chicago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Anderson died a decade before the interview, having denied any involvement in Shakur's murder.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

I’ve been wrestling with Jason Statham for a decade and I’m finally conceding defeat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Daoud acted like he was one of the family, but he was just a guy my brother had brought home when they'd met in fifth grade, a decade ago.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

It’s an approach that has helped it survive for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

For a club that has spent more than two decades in constant turmoil, merely being back on the big stage felt like a moment worth savouring.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The removal of Jose Gabriel Espinoza comes as Bolivia suffers through its worst economic turbulence in four decades, which the center-right Paz, elected last year, is under pressure to fix.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

“The Treasury has invested decades that it would not behave opportunistically like this,” Crandall said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

The old wooden houses looked lopsided on their foundations after decades of long winters; poking out of the snow.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French