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 of ten

• doll
• lovely
• beauty
• babe
• 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

Rights groups say the Iranian regime killed tens of thousands of people who took to the streets to demonstrate against the Iranian regime earlier this year. —Tucker Reals, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026

The threats vowed to release the sensitive personal information of tens of millions of students -- some as young as 5 -- if PowerSchool didn't pay nearly $3 million in cryptocurrency. —Mike Levine, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

These non-core expenses cost tens of millions of dollars that could have gone toward the city’s massive backlog of maintenance and repairs. —Mark Powell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026

Taking our Solar System as a proxy for what’s out there in the galaxy and the rest of the Universe, there are likely tens of trillions of bodies in hydrostatic equilibrium, at least, across the entirety of the Milky Way. —Big Think, 14 Apr. 2026

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