decade

noun

de·​cade ˈde-ˌkād 

de-ˈkād;

 especially sense 1b  ˈde-kəd

1

: a group or set of 10

his prisoners were divided into decades

—William 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

ˈde-kə-dᵊl 

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

Adding Relativity Space would be a significant coup for a state that, only a decade ago, was known primarily in space for being the home of NASA's human spaceflight activities. —Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025

Okumura has nearly two decades of relevant experience and has served as the company’s vice president, controller since 2020 after originally joining the organization in 2018 as its director of financial reporting. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 14 Mar. 2025

The Southern African Development Community mission was part of a myriad of forces operating in the mineral-rich region plagued by decades of armed violence. —arkansasonline.com, 14 Mar. 2025

Yet, like Roosevelt’s first election in 1932, Trump’s success potentially signals the overturning of decades of political orthodoxies and the beginning of a new era. —Justin Peck / Made By History, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025

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

Phrases Containing decade

• decade-long

Rhymes for decade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

decade

noun

de·​cade ˈdek-ˌād 

-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