twenty

noun twen·ty \ ˈtwen-tē , ˈtwən- \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of twenty

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

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twentieth

play \-tē-əth\ adjective or noun

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twenty

adjective

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twenty

pronoun, plural in construction

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Examples of twenty in a Sentence

Tomorrow the temperature will be in the low twenties.

Recent Examples of twenty from the Web

In her book, Heaney explores the topic of coming out as LGBTQ+ in her twenties.

— katie heaney, Seventeen, "My First Queer Kiss Didn't Really Tell Me Whether or Not I Was Gay," 27 Mar. 2018
The bomb injured two men in their twenties, and city police have asked the bomber to reach out and reveal his demands.

— sarah jones, The New Republic, "Is there a serial bomber in Austin, Texas?," 19 Mar. 2018
Just a few hours later, two men in their twenties were walking along a street in south Austin, in a wealthy neighborhood far from the first three bombs.

— dan frosch, WSJ, "Police Closed In on Austin Bomber After Following Trail of Clues," 21 Mar. 2018
The man being sought may be in his mid-twenties, is up to 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 160 to 170 pounds, police said.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Do you know this armed robbery suspect? Coral Springs cops want to hear from you," 21 Mar. 2018
Unwed mothers during the period were likely to be white, middle-class women in their teens and twenties living at home.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Like a generation of women, my unwed birth mother kept a lifelong secret: Me," 8 Mar. 2018
In his early twenties, Keith moved to Suffield. to learn the candy making trade, working side by side with his uncle, Edwin L. Brigham of Brigham's Candies.

— courant.com, "Leon Markwell," 1 Mar. 2018
The vast majority of extra-continentales are young men in their twenties and thirties who claim to be fleeing some danger back home.

— lauren markham, The New Republic, "How efforts to block refugees and asylum-seekers from Europe have only made the global migration crisis more complex and harrowing," 26 Feb. 2018
The suspect was described as an unshaven white man in his mid-twenties, wearing a black sweatshirt and blue jeans.

— joseph clark, cleveland.com, "Plow truck stolen: Olmsted Township police blotter," 4 Feb. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year