Synonyms

century

¹ American

[sen-chuh-ree] / ˈsɛn tʃə ri /

noun

plural

centuries

a period of 100 years.
one of the successive periods of 100 years reckoned forward or backward from a recognized chronological epoch, especially from the assumed date of the birth of Jesus.
any group or collection of 100.

a century of limericks.
(in the ancient Roman army) a company, consisting of approximately 100 men.
one of the voting divisions of the ancient Roman people, each division having one vote.
(initial capital letter) a style of type.
Slang. a hundred-dollar bill; 100 dollars.
Sports. a race of 100 yards or meters, as in track or swimming, or of 100 miles, as in bicycle racing.
Cricket. a score of at least 100 runs made by one batsman in a single inning.

-century ² American

[sen-chuh-ree] / ˈsɛn tʃə ri /

a combining form of century, affixed to the number that specifies the 100-year span cited, and used only as an adjective.

19th-century American literature;
a collection of 6th-century metal sculptures that was stolen in the late 20th century.

century British

/ ˈsɛntʃərɪ /

noun

a period of 100 years
one of the successive periods of 100 years dated before or after an epoch or event, esp the birth of Christ
1. a score or grouping of 100
  
  to score a century in cricket
2. ( as modifier )
  
  the basketball team passed the century mark in their last game
(in ancient Rome) a unit of foot soldiers, originally 100 strong, later consisting of 60 to 80 men See also maniple
(in ancient Rome) a division of the people for purposes of voting
(often capital) a style of type

"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

century Idioms

see turn of the century.

Other Word Forms

half-century noun

Etymology

Origin of century

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin centuria “unit made up of 100 parts (especially a company of soldiers),” equivalent to cent(um) “hundred” + -uria, perhaps extracted from decuria “a division of 10 men”; decury

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.

This innings combined the best of his aggression and elegant strokeplay as he became the first batter to make two centuries at a World Cup following his unbeaten 100 off 58 balls against Namibia.

From BBC

Penicillin, discovered by Alexander Fleming in the mid 20th century, blocks a late stage of peptidoglycan production.

From Science Daily

Indeed, history is filled with examples of this, from the medieval Black Death hitchhiking along the Silk Road to the “Russian flu” pandemic of the late 19th century that was accelerated by trains and steamships.

From Salon

Nasa is adding an extra mission to its Artemis programme before it attempts to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time in half a century.

From BBC

It is meant to see the first flyby of the Moon in more than half a century.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023