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

There are four hundred and thirty-five members of the House of Representatives; only one was born in the nineteen-nineties, and only sixty-four in the eighties. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 12 June 2026

In comparison, Prince, the rule-breaking, musical genius whose synthy, genre-blurring Minneapolis Sound became the audio heartbeat of the eighties, amassed 150 million in global units sold, headlined by his 1984 Oscar-winning statement Purple Rain. —Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026

There’s so much that has been occluded by the broad-brush depiction of the eighties as the awful age of Reagan, yuppies, shoulder pads, mullets, and synth-drums. —Literary Hub, 1 June 2026

When the song began, Donald—in his eighties, and then in his nineties—always stood and danced. —Anna Wintour, Vogue, 27 May 2026

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