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

On the other side of the screen door was a man in his twenties, fair-skinned, tall like my father, his face obscured by the cross-hatching of the metal. —CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025

Everyone goes through their twenties and deciding what's next and deciding what your integrity will be, and friendships. —Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

In the nineteen-twenties, the problem of anarchist violence could be understood as belonging to a different category than the partisan arguments between Democrats and Republicans—as could later acts of terror perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan and the Weather Underground. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

The witty romantic dramedy kicks off with a young Fanny Price (Hannah Taylor Gordon) — who comes from a poor family — being sent away to live with her wealthy uncle and his wife and children, then jumps forward to the spirited writer in her twenties. —Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 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