eighty

1 of 3

noun (1)

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

eightieth

2 of 3

adjective

eight·​i·​eth ˈāt|ēə̇th 

ˈāt|, 

|iə̇th

1

: being number 80 in a countable series

the eightieth day

see Table of Numbers

2

: being one of 80 equal parts into which something is divisible

an eightieth share of the money

eightieth

3 of 3

noun (2)

"

plural -s

1

: number 80 in a countable series

2

: the quotient of a unit divided by 80 : one of 80 equal parts of something

one eightieth of the total

Examples of eighty in a Sentence

Noun (1)

The temperature rose to the high eighties.

She is in her mid-eighties.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At times during the current heatwave, nighttime temperatures lingered in the eighties or near ninety. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

In the stage-show memoir the movie keeps cutting to, Asher, now in his early eighties, with sparse red hair and tortoise-shell glasses, describes all of this in his mild and menschy way. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 June 2026

The time is the present day, though, perhaps owing to its isolation from the mainland, the island seems to have stalled permanently in the nineteen-eighties. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 18 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

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Adjective

Middle English eightetithe, eightithe, adjective & noun, from Old English hundeahtatigotha, from hundeahtatig eighty + -otha -tha -th

Noun (2)

Middle English eightetithe, eīghtithe

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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