eighty

noun

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

Examples of eighty in a Sentence

The temperature rose to the high eighties.

She is in her mid-eighties.

Recent Examples on the Web

But its primary association in the public consciousness since the nineteen-eighties is with the criminal underworld, particularly the drug cartels. —Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026

Both men are now in their eighties — McCartney is 83, Starr turns 86 in July — which lends the collaboration a meaning beyond the already exciting novelty of the pairing. —Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2026

Both are born entertainers with ever-active creative powers who have proved unable to tear themselves away from studio and stage into their eighties. —Literary Hub, 20 Apr. 2026

In a longer American life—one that now routinely extends into the early eighties—the forties are barely the midpoint. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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