ten-speed

[ten-speed]

noun

1. a system of gears having ten forward gear ratios, especially on a bicycle.

2. a bicycle having such a system of gears.

adjective

1. having ten forward gear ratios.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ten-speed¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

She went in the overstuffed garage and returned a few minutes later wheeling a red ten-speed.

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Way, way more than I needed to buy a new inner tube for my old ten-speed.

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It was now July and I had ridden my ten-speed—yes, my old one, though I had bought a new inner tube—over to Arnold’s house.

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“Absolutely. It’s more money than I could even think of having. It wasn’t that long ago I was wondering where to get enough money to buy an inner tube for my ten-speed. Now I could buy a whole new bike. I could buy a bunch of them.”

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One minute I was twelve years old and wondering where I could get enough money for an inner tube for my old used ten-speed.

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