ten

noun

ˈten 

plural tens

1

: a number that is one more than nine see Table of Numbers

2

: the 10th in a set or series

wears a ten

3

: something having 10 units or members

4

: a 10-dollar bill

5

: one deserving the highest rating

specifically : an exceptionally attractive person

ten adjective

ten pronoun, plural in construction

see also take ten

Synonyms

• babe [slang]
• cutie
• cutey
• dish
• doll
• dreamboat [slang]
• fox
• glamour-puss
• hottie
• knockout
• looker
• showstopper

Examples of ten in a Sentence

“What time is it” “It's ten.”

promised me that she would fix me up with a ten

Recent Examples on the Web

Oude Waag's collection was also trending on Weibo's hot search, gaining tens of millions in traffic. —Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

No one knows what will happen on Nov. 5 as tens of millions of Americans have already cast theirballots as part of early voting and with tens of millions more still yet to vote their preference for who should lead the nation for the next four years. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

Musk has been campaigning for former President Donald Trump, investing tens of millions of dollars to help his effort to return to the White House. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2024

Soon-Shiong’s willingness to underwrite tens of millions of dollars of losses per year has made cuts at The Times, though painful, less extreme than at the some of country’s biggest newspaper chains. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, going back to Old English tīen (West Saxon), tēn, going back to Germanic *tehun (whence also Old Frisian tiān, tiēn "ten," Old Saxon tehan, Old High German zehan, Old Norse tíu, Gothic taihun), going back to Indo-European *deḱm̥, whence also Old Irish deich "ten," Welsh deg, Latin decem, Old Church Slavic desętĭ, Lithuanian dẽšimt, Albanian dhjetë, Greek déka, Armenian tasn, Tocharian A śäk, Tocharian B śak, Avestan dasa, Sanskrit daśa

Note: The Slavic, Baltic, and perhaps Albanian forms are derived from the ordinal base *deḱm̥-t-.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ten

• five-and-ten
• hang ten
• nine times out of ten
• not touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole
• take ten
• ten a penny
• ten-eighty
• ten-gallon hat
• ten out of ten
• ten-speed
• ten-strike
• ten to one

Kids Definition

ten

noun

ˈten 

1

: a number that is one more than nine see number

2

: the tenth in a set or series

the ten of hearts

3

: something having ten units or members

4

: a 10-dollar bill

ten adjective or pronoun

Medical Definition

TEN

abbreviation

toxic epidermal necrolysis