tenth

noun

ˈten(t)th 

plural tenths ˈten(t)s  ˈten(t)ths 

1

: one that is number ten in a series

the tenth of February

She was the tenth in line.

see Table of Numbers

2

: one of ten equal parts of something

He sold the car for a tenth of its value.

3

a

: a musical interval embracing an octave and a third

b

: the tone at this interval

tenth adjective or adverb

the tenth floor

the world's tenth largest company

Examples of tenth in a Sentence

He was tenth in line.

He traded stocks for one tenth their face value.

I only paid a tenth of what you did for that jacket.

Recent Examples on the Web

If a stage is a tenth of the path, then even cutting it to zero shortens the path by a tenth at most. — Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

American Supercritical says its system occupies about one-tenth the space of a steam system. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026

That is how an $8-$12 billion-dollar project that would draw more than a tenth of Kentucky’s summer electricity announced itself, as the Kentucky Lantern reported in July. — James Branscome, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026

Some metallic lattices even have an apparent bulk density less than one-tenth that of water. — New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tenth

• tenth-rate

Kids Definition

tenth

noun

ˈten(t)th 

plural tenths ˈten(t)s 

ˈten(t)ths

1

: one that is number 10 in a series see number

2

: one of 10 equal parts of something

3

: the one numbered 10 in a countable series

tenth adjective or adverb