ten

noun

ˈten 

plural tens

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

ten adjective

ten pronoun, plural in construction

see also take ten

Synonyms

• doll
• lovely
• beauty
• babe [slang]
• fox
• eyeful
• dish

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

But there have been signs that Kim has spent months preparing for a major parade in the capital Pyongyang, potentially at night and involving tens of thousands of people, according to the South Korean military. —Helen Regan, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2025

Wavytalk's Thermal Brush is the star of tens of thousands of videos highlighting its ability to deliver a solid blowout on any hair type. —Lily Wohlner, Allure, 8 Oct. 2025

Conservatively, that saved San Antonio tens of millions in cap space and helped set them up to win the 2014 title, Duncan's fifth. —Sean Gentille, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025

That's the drug that reverses opioid overdoses, credited with saving tens of thousands of lives. —Brian Mann, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

Note: The Slavic, Baltic, and perhaps Albanian forms are derived from the ordinal base *deḱm̥-t-.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ten

• five-and-ten
• hang ten
• nine times out of ten
• not touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole
• take ten
• ten a penny
• ten-eighty
• ten-gallon hat
• ten out of ten
• ten-speed
• ten-strike
• ten to one

Rhymes for ten

• ben
• bren
• chen
• den
• en
• gen
• glen
• hen
• jen
• ken
• men
• pen

Kids Definition

ten

noun

ˈten 

1

: a number that is one more than nine see number

2

: the tenth in a set or series

the ten of hearts

3

: something having ten units or members

4

: a 10-dollar bill

ten adjective or pronoun

Medical Definition

TEN

abbreviation

toxic epidermal necrolysis