twenty

noun

twen·​ty ˈtwen-tē  ˈtwən- 

plural twenties

1

: a number equal to two times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

twenties plural : the numbers 20 to 29

specifically : the years 20 to 29 in a lifetime or century

3

: a 20-dollar bill

twentieth

ˈtwen-tē-əth 

ˈtwən-

adjective or noun

twenty adjective

twenty pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of twenty in a Sentence

Tomorrow the temperature will be in the low twenties.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the summer of 2025, the Faroes experienced a heat wave of sorts, with temperatures up to the low twenties (Celsius) and several days of almost no rain and fog only in the morning. —Mattias Goldmann, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

The cabin is starting to fill now and a young woman in her early twenties approaches the empty window seat, the one Emmet had ambitions towards. —Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025

Gilles became a photographer in his twenties, in the nineteen-seventies, because studying literature and philosophy and political theory had undermined his trust in language. —Philip Gourevitch, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025

Prosecutors said the crash killed two women in their twenties and seriously injured a 6-year-old boy. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from twenty, adjective, from Old English twēntig, noun, group of 20, from twēn- (akin to Old English twā two) + -tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten — more at two, ten

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing twenty

• twenty-four hours a day
• twenty-fourmo
• twenty-four seven
• twenty-one
• twenty-twenty
• twenty-twenty hindsight
• twenty-twenty vision
• twenty-two

Rhymes for twenty

• mentee
• plenty
• senti
• aplenty

Kids Definition

twenty

noun

twen·​ty ˈtwent-ē 

plural twenties

: a number equal to two times 10 see number

twenty adjective or pronoun