ten

[ ten ]

/ tɛn /

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noun

a cardinal number, nine plus one.

a symbol for this number, as 10 or X.

a set of this many persons or things.

a playing card with ten pips.

Informal. a ten-dollar bill: She had two tens and a five in her purse.

Also called ten's place. Mathematics.

(in a mixed number) the position of the second digit to the left of the decimal point.
(in a whole number) the position of the second digit from the right.

adjective

amounting to ten in number.

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Idioms about ten

take ten, Informal. to rest from what one is doing, especially for ten minutes.

Origin of ten

before 900; Middle English ten(e), tenn(e), Old English tēn(e), tīen(e); cognate with Dutch tien,German zehn,Old Norse tīu,Gothic taihun,Latin decem,Greek déka,Sanskrit daśa

Words nearby ten

tempura, tempus edax rerum, tempus fugit, Tempyō, Temuco, ten, tenable, tenace, tenacious, tenaciously, tenacity

Other definitions for ten (2 of 2)

ten.

abbreviation

tenor.

Music. tenuto.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ten in a sentence

Ten of the callers identified the man as Jason Polanco of the Bronx.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As played by Omundson, King Richard is effeminate, sincere, and ten times funnier than everyone else.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale|Melissa Leon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Wait…” Suddenly a huge, graceful black marlin leaps out of the water, sending a shower of water ten feet high.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I first saw Marvin when I was ten years old, living with my parents in Arlington, Virginia.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I did a ten minute scene in his class: the guy who had gangrene in his leg in The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In less than ten minutes, the bivouac was broken up, and our little army on the march.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Ten minutes later, veiled and cloaked, she stepped out alone into the garden.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
The clock struck ten, and clerks poured in faster than ever, each one in a greater perspiration than his predecessor.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
Strathland would bundle me out in ten minutes if anything happened to Jack.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
There is cause for alarm when they bring one hundred and ten ships into these seas without any means of resistance on our part.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ten (1 of 2)

ten

/ (tɛn) /

noun

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one. It is the base of the decimal number system and the base of the common logarithmSee also number (def. 1)

a numeral, 10, X, etc, representing this number

something representing, represented by, or consisting of ten units, such as a playing card with ten symbols on it

Also called: ten o'clock ten hours after noon or midnight

determiner

amounting to tenten tigers
(as pronoun)to sell only ten

Other words from ten

Related adjective: decimalRelated prefixes: deca-, deci-

Word Origin for ten

Old English tēn; related to Old Saxon tehan, Old High German zehan, Gothic taihun, Latin decem, Greek deka, Sanskrit dasa

British Dictionary definitions for ten (2 of 2)

ten-

combining form

a variant of teno-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with ten

ten

see count to ten; not touch with a ten-foot pole.