Trivia Time

Which decade is often associated with flappers, jazz, and speakeasies?

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decade

American  

[dek-ayd, duh-kayd] / 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

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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

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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

Nearly a decade later, Macron is the one under pressure to reassure France and global investors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

“Why you would want to spend your last month of freedom in a decade with this guy,” Fielder wondered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

That’s what Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Thursday evening in Texas, as he commenced a dramatic livestreamed spectacle: Tesla’s new Roadster, almost a decade overdue, was going to fly!

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026

An Australian parliamentary report warned last year that threats and physical attacks had increased "significantly over the past decade".

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

For more than a decade following Penkovsky's arrest, Moscow had been a virtual no-go zone for CIA operations.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

For decades, video games have allowed players to build relationships with non-player characters, or NPCs.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

She has interviewed many of the world's leaders and newsmakers over the past decades and reported from hotspots such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda and the Balkans.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

But as Americans are living longer, with retirements that potentially last decades, how much of a role should target-date funds play after a person’s working life is over?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Why, you might ask, would Tesla want to sunset that business after decades spent proving EVs are viable, capturing a gigantic chunk of market share in the process?

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026

“But if I jump and make it, I might live longer than that, by like decades, even.”

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

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