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

One million species – 500,000 animals and plants and 500,000 insects – are threatened with extinction over the coming decades to centuries because of habitat loss, according to the WWF Living Planet Report 2020. —Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2024

After fast-forwarding through the fall of Berlin Wall and up to the outbreak of the Gulf War, Black Ops 6 places you in 1991, at the tail end of one of the most transformative decades in modern history. —Matt Gardner, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

Grab a pair of shoes that will last you the next three decades now for under $100. —Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2024

But just the following decade, CJ and his pals are able to get out of the hood, then go around the world and back again — as CJ returns home to set things right on his own terms. —Ade Adeniji, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2024

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

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