ten-four
Americaninterjection
Etymology
Origin of ten-four
First recorded in 1960–65; originally meaning “message received” in ten code ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Ten-four,” the dispatcher said, signing off.
From Literature
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"Ten-four, everything's fine," an officer radios back.
From Los Angeles Times
"Well, I suppose I must; log her ten-four."
From Project Gutenberg
Ten-four meant ten and a half; for in those primitive days knots were divided into eight fathoms.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.