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

Though many people come to far West Texas for its isolation—the Unabomber’s slightly less reclusive brother did a stint here in the eighties, living at first in a crude underground shelter—Miller said that immigration-enforcement agents have been an intrusive presence for many years. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026

In 2022, Dickinson County law enforcement received a report that $400,000 in gold and silver coins, along with other items, were stolen from a couple in their late eighties living in a central Kansas farmhouse, records say. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026

All this brewed a distinct Korean immigrant flavor that wasn’t compatible with white Canada in the eighties. —Jane Park, PEOPLE, 9 May 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

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