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

That’s consistent with an overall contraction in the pool’s size during the past several decades. —Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026

Meaningful games this time of year and the Charlotte Hornets haven’t exactly gone hand in hand for the last decade. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2026

While there was a Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills for years, that hotel dropped the affiliation nearly two decades ago, making this a true return to the United States for the brand. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2026

Over the decades, the facility drastically shrank, reflecting a larger deinstitutionalization sweeping the state and country amid concerns over abuse at state psychiatric hospitals. —Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 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

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