eighty

noun

ˈā-tē 

plural eighties

1

: a number that is equal to eight times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

eighties plural : the numbers 80 to 89

specifically : the years 80 to 89 in a lifetime or century

eightieth

ˈā-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

eighty adjective

eighty pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of eighty in a Sentence

The temperature rose to the high eighties.

She is in her mid-eighties.

Recent Examples on the Web

His delights range from the eighties band DeBarge to the purple flowers that bloom in spring. —The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025

Saturday’s practice session and qualifying saw temperatures well into the eighties, while, in true fickle Melbourne fashion, Sunday’s race was cold, windy, and blanketed with rain. —Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2025

Similar rules spread across California and the country in the eighties and nineties. —Maureen Gaffney, Outside Online, 30 Jan. 2025

The epilogue, set at a Venice Biennale in the eighties, then switches to a touristy video format that drives home a point about the kitschy co-optation of art. —Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English eighty, adjective, from Old English eahtatig, short for hundeahtatig, noun, group of eighty, from hund-, literally, hundred + eahta eight + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing eighty

• eighty-six
• ten-eighty

Rhymes for eighty

• kati
• katy
• platy
• slaty
• weighty

Kids Definition

eighty

noun

ˈāt-ē 

plural eighties

: a number that is equal to eight times 10 see number

eightieth

-ē-əth 

adjective or noun

eighty adjective or pronoun