ten
- 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.
- amounting to ten in number.
- take ten, Informal. to rest from what one is doing, especially for ten minutes.
Origin of ten
ten.
10
- the upper end of a rating scale, with 10 indicating the best or a perfect score: That new novel is wonderful—I'd rate it a 10.
Examples from the Web for ten
Contemporary Examples
Ten of the callers identified the man as Jason Polanco of the Bronx.
As played by Omundson, King Richard is effeminate, sincere, and ten times funnier than everyone else.
“Wait…” Suddenly a huge, graceful black marlin leaps out of the water, sending a shower of water ten feet high.
I first saw Marvin when I was ten years old, living with my parents in Arlington, Virginia.
I did a ten minute scene in his class: the guy who had gangrene in his leg in The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
Historical Examples
Rather gain one prize from the Choragus than ten from the Gymnasiarch.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
I would rather gain one prize from the Choragus, than ten from the Gymnasiarch.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
When he came out ten minutes later Uncle Peter was waiting for him alone.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
In ten minutes the fund had reached over six hundred dollars.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
"There is not one chance in ten that he is living," he said.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
ten
- 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
- amounting to tenten tigers
- (as pronoun)to sell only ten
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for ten
n.
Old English ten (Mercian), tien (West Saxon), from Proto-Germanic *tekhan (cf. Old Saxon tehan, Old Norse tiu, Danish ti, Old Frisian tian, Old Dutch ten, Dutch tien, Old High German zehan, German zehn, Gothic taihun "ten").
The Germanic words are from PIE *dekm (cf. Sanskrit dasa, Avestan dasa, Armenian tasn, Greek deka, Latin decem, Old Church Slavonic deseti, Lithuanian desimt, Old Irish deich, Breton dek, Welsh deg, Albanian djetu "ten").
Tenner "ten-pound note" is slang first recorded 1861; as "ten-dollar bill," 1887 (ten-spot in this sense dates from 1848). The ten-foot pole that you wouldn't touch something with (1909) was originally a 40-foot pole; the idea is the same as the advice to use a long spoon when you dine with the devil. Ten-four "I understand, message received," is attested in popular jargon from 1962, from use in CB and police radio 10-code (in use in U.S. by 1950).
TEN
- toxic epidermal necrolysis
Idioms and Phrases with ten
ten
see count to ten; not touch with a ten-foot pole.