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

Gray divorces have risen steadily – particularly as Gen X began entering its 50s in the past decade, Park said. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 July 2026

Enrollment in private schools in Miami-Dade County — religious and non-religious — has increased from about 70,000 to 92,000 the past two decades, according to reporting by the Miami Herald. — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026

Regrettably, over the past two decades, California taxpayers have fewer and fewer advocates in the California Legislature. — Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 25 July 2026

These are the men and women who spent decades operating buses, maintaining subways, repairing tracks, and kept New York moving through snowstorms, terrorist attacks, and a global pandemic. — Marianne Pizzitola, New York Daily News, 25 July 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