ten

¹

[ten]

noun

1. a cardinal number, nine plus one.

2. a symbol for this number, as 10 or X.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a playing card with ten pips.

5. Informal.,  a ten-dollar bill.

   She had two tens and a five in her purse.

6. Also called ten's place. Mathematics.

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

   2. (in a whole number) the position of the second digit from the right.

adjective

1. amounting to ten in number.

ten.

²

abbreviation

1. tenor.

2. Music.,  tenuto.

ten

¹

/ tɛn /

noun

1. 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 logarithm See also number

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

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

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

determiner

1. 1. amounting to ten

      ten tigers

   2. ( as pronoun )

      to sell only ten

ten-

²

combining form

1. a variant of teno-

Word History and Origins

Origin of ten¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ten¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

Example Sentences

Waving Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands of protesters marched in central Tbilisi on Saturday.

From BBC

It marks the third jackpot won in the UK this year of the ten held so far.

From BBC

Seven out of ten times, that person returns that smile or does nothing.

From Salon

Families that are currently paying nothing for their healthcare will be hit with premium bills reaching tens of thousands of dollars per person.

From Los Angeles Times

The call, he said, lasted less than ten minutes and he never heard from them again.

From Los Angeles Times