decade

noun

de·​cade ˈde-ˌkād 

de-ˈkād;

especially sense 1b ˈde-kəd

1

: a group or set of 10

It isn't to be done in a day of course, nor yet in a century, —nor in a decade of centuries …

—Anthony Trollope

: 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

Emily Hargreaves, who has been at Multitude for nearly a decade, continues to lead the personal PR biz including Dyer, Adefope and Latif. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Scientists at New York University and Rutgers have proposed that this trajectory may begin in infancy, with early antibiotic exposure being one factor that can initiate a cascade that contributes to Alzheimer’s decades later. — Holly Baines, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026

Thousands carrying white flowers lined the roads in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday as the remains of 731 people believed to have been killed during the 1968 Tet Offensive were taken for burial nearly six decades after their deaths. — Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

The nature of nightlife in Los Angeles has changed dramatically over the past decade. — Oren Peleg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

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
• mid-decade redistricting

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