Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

twenty

noun
Save Word
twen·​ty | \ ˈtwen-tē How to pronounce twenty (audio) , ˈtwən- How to pronounce twenty (audio) \
plural twenties

Definition of twenty

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
Other Words from twenty Example Sentences Learn More about twenty

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from twenty

twentieth \ ˈtwen-​tē-​əth How to pronounce twentieth (audio) , 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 The effort began on March 28th, when Yumi Hogan, who had immigrated from South Korea while in her twenties, joined her husband on a call to the Korean Ambassador. — Robert P. Baird, The New Yorker, "How Much Testing Does the U.S. Need to Reopen?," 14 May 2020 All in their twenties, Monsta X are wearing dramatic red and black prints, some in billowy button-up shirts, and all in tight, black leather pants. — Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, "What K-Pop’s Beautiful Men Can Teach Us About Masculinity," 12 May 2020 At times, Epstein arrived with one or two female assistants who appeared to be in their twenties, something that made observers uncomfortable, witnesses told the investigators. — Michael Mcdonald, Bloomberg.com, "Jeffrey Epstein Gave MIT $850,000, and Senior Staff Kept Quiet," 7 May 2020 She finally was diagnosed in her twenties and has learned to live (and thrive) since. — Sunset Magazine, "10 Books to Read Right Now," 19 Mar. 2020 Waxenbaum says most people’s bones have finished fusing together around the start of puberty, though a few stragglers, like the collarbone, don’t fully form until our early to mid twenties. — Alex Schwartz, Popular Science, "You’ll never have as many bones as you did at birth (and other strange skeleton facts)," 5 Feb. 2020 Officials said the subject is a woman in her twenties who recently traveled to Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak. — William Cummings, USA TODAY, "A look at the coronavirus in six states slated to hold Democratic elections on Tuesday," 9 Mar. 2020 Now halfway through her twenties, Taylor Tomlinson is ready to leave her mistakes behind her. — P. Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "New on Netflix March 2020: “Elite” Season 3, New “On My Block”," 29 Feb. 2020 When the collection basket comes around, many people seem pleased to toss in tens and twenties, rather than the typical ones and fives. — BostonGlobe.com, "Could the future of Catholicism be taking shape in this church basement? - The Boston Globe," 9 Oct. 2019

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

See More

First Known Use of twenty

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for twenty

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about twenty

Time Traveler for twenty

Time Traveler

The first known use of twenty was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Statistics for twenty

Last Updated

20 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Twenty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twenty. Accessed 25 May. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for twenty

twenty

noun
How to pronounce twenty (audio) How to pronounce twenty (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of twenty

: the number 20
: the 20th in a set or series
: the numbers ranging from 20 to 29

See the full definition for twenty in the English Language Learners Dictionary

twenty

adjective
twen·​ty | \ ˈtwen-tē How to pronounce twenty (audio) \

Kids Definition of twenty

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: being one more than 19 One dollar equals twenty nickels.

twenty

noun

Kids Definition of twenty (Entry 2 of 2)

: one more than 19 : four times five : 20

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on twenty

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for twenty

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with twenty

Spanish Central: Translation of twenty

Nglish: Translation of twenty for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of twenty for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about twenty

Comments on twenty

What made you want to look up twenty? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

instigate

Listen to the pronunciation of instigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Obscure Shapes

  • a pile of three dimensional shapes in green
  • Something that is ooid is shaped like:
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games