ten

noun

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\ ˈten

plural tens

Definition of ten

1 : a number that is one more than nine — see Table of Numbers

2 : the 10th in a set or series wears a ten

3 : something having 10 units or members

4 : a 10-dollar bill

5 : one deserving the highest rating specifically : an exceptionally attractive person

— see also take ten

Other Words from ten Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing ten Learn More About ten

Synonyms & Antonyms for ten

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples of ten in a Sentence

“What time is it” “It's ten.” promised me that she would fix me up with a ten

Recent Examples on the Web Finding a dependable big may not be click bait, but probably makes the top-ten to do list. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2022 No one under the age of ten appears to have died from the disease. — Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 19 Mar. 2020 Having celebrated 10 years, what’s next for Novikov? Roll my sleeves up in readiness for the next ten! — Angelina Villa-clarke, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022 Also, this gives Sandra Bullock two films in the top-ten, alongside the 2018 sleeper smash Birdbox, making her Netflix’s biggest movie star. — Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021 This can be oversimplified and overstated, but the United States did attract immigrants by the tens of millions. — Marilynne Robinson, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2020 City attorneys for Los Angeles and San Francisco also joined the suit, which asks the court to fine Uber and Lyft $2,500 per each misclassified driver in California; that could add up to tens of millions of dollars in penalties for each company. — Aarian Marshall, Wired, 5 May 2020 Think tens of thousands of people at a concert, conventions and crowded sports arenas. — Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2020 Higher stock prices won’t offer much consolation to the tens of millions of people who have been laid off or furloughed. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for ten

Middle English, going back to Old English tīen (West Saxon), tēn, going back to Germanic *tehun (whence also Old Frisian tiān, tiēn "ten," Old Saxon tehan, Old High German zehan, Old Norse tíu, Gothic taihun), going back to Indo-European *deḱm̥, whence also Old Irish deich "ten," Welsh deg, Latin decem, Old Church Slavic desętĭ, Lithuanian dẽšimt, Albanian dhjetë, Greek déka, Armenian tasn, Tocharian A śäk, Tocharian B śak, Avestan dasa, Sanskrit daśa