century

noun cen·tu·ry \ ˈsen(t)-sh(ə-)rē \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: century in a Sentence

Definition of century

plural centuries

1 : a subdivision of the Roman legion

2 : a group, sequence, or series of 100 like things

3 : a period of 100 years especially of the Christian era or of the preceding period of human history

the third century A.D.

4 : a race over a hundred units (such as yards, miles, or meters)

See century defined for English-language learners

See century defined for kids

Examples of century in a Sentence

It took more than a century to complete the cathedral.
Millions of people celebrated the beginning of the 21st century on January 1, 2000.
The pottery dates back to the sixth century B.C.E.
When the prince got married, it was called the wedding of the century.

Recent Examples of century from the Web

When the highways were built more than half a century ago, there was an intention to connect the west side of the Downtown inner loop where West Street is.

— amy bartner, Indianapolis Star, "Exclusive: INDOT looks at 7 different ways to rethink Downtown Indy's North Split," 3 May 2018
The city's museums are so sprawling in size and topic—from the century-old Museum of Natural Science to the MFA Houston, the largest cultural institution in the southwest—the museum district divided them up into four walkable zones.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "Houston's Menil Collection to Expand with Drawing Institute," 3 May 2018
Conservative blowhards are quick to tell black people that slavery was something a few white men did centuries ago.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Free Thought Is for White People," 2 May 2018
The century-old building is within walking distance to Golden 1 Center and has been dilapidated and vacant.

— karen zurawski, Houston Chronicle, "Downtown Katy redevelopment continues," 30 Apr. 2018
Nearly half a century ago, competing in the Grand National timber stakes, a rider named John Fisher lost the race to his own horse.

— mike klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "Catching up with ... steeplechasing's John Fisher," 20 Apr. 2018
Jibberish An Anglo who grew up in an English-speaking household, Brown seemed an unlikely choice to lead Our Lady of Guadalupe, a parish that was founded a century ago to serve San Diego County’s Spanish-speaking believers.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why Father Brown, a Barrio Logan icon, is leaving town," 12 Mar. 2018
Born roughly a century ago at De Jonghe's Hotel in Chicago, most would identify Shrimp de Jonghe as shrimp scampi, but for its crusty breadcrumb topping.

— dominic armato, azcentral, "Cubs and White Sox fans, eat like you're still in Chicago at these Phoenix restaurants during spring training," 8 Mar. 2018
The 6-8-10, which Adolph Rupp ran more than a half century ago, was complicated.

— lee jenkins, SI.com, "Smooth Operator: Dwane Casey Is Still Ironing out Every Wrinkle He Can Find," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'century.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of century

Latin centuria, irregular from centum hundred

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Calendar Terms

antedate, estival, gloaming, luster, sesquicentennial

CENTURY Defined for English Language Learners

century

noun

Definition of century for English Language Learners

: a period of 100 years
: a period of 100 years counted from the beginning of the Christian era

CENTURY Defined for Kids

century

noun cen·tu·ry \ ˈsen-chə-rē , ˈsench-rē \

Definition of century for Students

plural centuries

: a period of 100 years

Word Root of century

The Latin word centum, meaning “hundred,” gives us the root cent. Words from the Latin centum have something to do with the number 100. A dollar is made up of 100 cents. A century is a period of 100 years. A percent is the portion of something out of 100 parts.