century

noun cen·tu·ry \ ˈsen(t)-sh(ə-)rē \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 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

Attendance has steadily dropped over the last few years after exceeding 1 million at the turn of the century.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "Chew on this: These are the 20 wildest foods for sale at this year’s State Fair," 12 July 2018
However, San Francisco officials were desperate for more water at the turn of the century, especially when the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires exposed the shortfalls of its reserves.

— kurtis alexander, SFChronicle.com, "Appeals court rejects effort to tear down Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir," 10 July 2018
While lunar eclipses are generally slightly more gentle and less dramatic than solar eclipses, the Blood Moon lunar eclipse on July 27 is going to be the longest eclipse of the century.

— jodie layne, Teen Vogue, "Lunar Eclipse 2018: What You Need to Know," 3 July 2018
The longest total lunar eclipse of the century is set to dazzle most of the world, except the U.S., just shy of a year after the 2017 solar eclipse created a path of totality across America.

— Time, "Practically Everyone in the World Will See the Longest Eclipse of the Century on July 27. Here's What to Know," 3 July 2018
At the turn of the century such fees didn’t even exist.

— jenny gold, kaiser health news and sarah kliff, Washington Post, "A Baby Was Treated With A Nap And A Bottle Of Formula. The Bill Was $18,000.," 2 July 2018
The difference is Auburn has won a national title and played for another since the turn of the century.

— andy staples, SI.com, "The Message Behind the Money: How Texas A&M Landed Jimbo Fisher," 28 June 2018
Turnaround Hurdles GE has fallen far from its Jack Welch-era heyday at the turn of the century and achieving turnaround success will be tough.

— rick clough, Bloomberg.com, "GE CEO’s Make-or-Break Overhaul Took Shape on a Ski Vacation," 27 June 2018
Around the turn of the century, while still in development, the projected cost was $1.6 billion with launch expected in 2011.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "NASA’s Webb telescope delayed to 2021," 27 June 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.