decade

noun

de·​cade ˈde-ˌkād How to pronounce decade (audio)
de-ˈkād;
 especially sense 1b  ˈde-kəd
1
: a group or set of 10
his prisoners were divided into decadesWilliam Godwin
: such as
a
: a period of 10 years
has been teaching for over a decade
the decade of the twenties
b
Roman Catholicism : a division of the rosary that consists primarily of 10 Hail Marys
2
mathematics : a ratio of 10 to 1 : order of magnitude
decadal adjective

Examples of decade in a Sentence

The war lasted nearly a decade. The bridge was built a decade ago. The decade of the 1920s runs from January 1, 1920 to December 31, 1929. the first decade of the 21st century There have been a lot of changes during the past two decades.
Recent Examples on the Web The only one to do that, a trivia question for decades, was the 1942 Detroit Red Wings (who lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs). Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2024 For more than two decades, Oakwood’s Black residents have celebrated the third Saturday in June under names such as Hood Day, Neighborhood Day, Community Day and Remembrance Day. Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2024 For decades, reality TV stars have allowed fans into their lives and put their relationships on screen — and TLC is just one of those platforms where loyal fanbases have developed. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 22 June 2024 China and India have disputed the 2,100-mile Himalayan border for decades. Anika Arora Seth, Washington Post, 22 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for decade 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French décade, from Late Latin decad-, decas, from Greek dekad-, dekas, from deka — see deca-

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decade was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near decade

Cite this Entry

“Decade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decade. Accessed 28 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

decade

noun
de·​cade ˈdek-ˌād How to pronounce decade (audio)
-əd;
de-ˈkād;
 sense 3 is usually  ˈdek-əd
1
: a group or set of 10
2
: a period of 10 years
3
: a part of the rosary made up mainly of 10 Hail Marys

More from Merriam-Webster on decade

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