decade
Americannoun
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a period of ten years.
the three decades from 1776 to 1806.
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a period of ten years beginning with a year whose last digit is zero.
the decade of the 1980s.
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a group, set, or series of ten.
noun
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a period of ten consecutive years
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a group or series of ten
Other Word Forms
- decadal adjective
- half-decade noun
Etymology
Origin of decade
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin decad-, stem of decas, from Greek dekás “group of ten”; equivalent to deca- + -ade 2
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.
He took it as proof that force, used decisively, could succeed where decades of diplomacy had failed.
A predominantly Shiite Islamist group, Hezbollah has for decades been a major military and political force in Lebanon, which borders northern Israel.
From Los Angeles Times
We could be seeing the next decade of Liverpool football club.
From BBC
This was the ayatollah’s policy, for which he has made his people suffer for two decades.
Khamenei, 86 years old at the time of his death, led Iran through decades of transformation.
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.
