eighty

noun

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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just imagine what would have happened to that mouthy, fearless girl coming of age in an Argentina dominated by the brutal military juntas of the late seventies and eighties. Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 One of the women was in her seventies and the other in her eighties. Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 30 June 2025 There’s been this delicate equipoise between Russia and the US for the majority of the Cold War, even though the number of weapons has come down a lot from its peak in the eighties. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 27 June 2025 Some of my outfits are from the eighties, but a lot of them are also from right now. Nigel Smith, People.com, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for eighty

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of eighty was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Eighty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eighty. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

eighty

noun
plural eighties
: a number that is equal to eight times 10 see number
eightieth adjective or noun
eighty adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on eighty

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