century

noun

cen·​tu·​ry ˈsen(t)-sh(ə-)rē 

plural centuries

1

: a period of 100 years

a company that has been in business for more than a century

specifically : one of the 100-year divisions of the Christian era or of the preceding period of human history

the third century A.D./B.C

the 18th century

2

: a group, sequence, or series of 100 like things

3

a

: a subdivision of the Roman legion

b

: a voting unit of ancient Rome constituted according to property qualifications

4

: a race over a hundred units (such as yards, miles, or meters)

Examples of century in a Sentence

It took more than a century to complete the cathedral.

The pottery dates back to the sixth century B.C.E.

When the prince got married, it was called the wedding of the century.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ferrara, the century-old Chicago confectioner behind Lemonhead, Nerds and other sugary candies, is shuttering its Little Village factory and laying off 154 employees in April. — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026

The ceremony took place in the towering 13th century Toledo Cathedral in central Spain. — Francisco Seco, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026

There have been periods when the human population declined because of wars or epidemics, such as the Black Death, in the fourteenth century, or the diseases brought by Europeans to the Americas in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. — Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2026

The Goop Kitchen founder wanted the focal point of the design to be a late-18th-century Flemish tapestry, whose landscape imagery features a palette of muted greens and taupes. — Juliet Izon, Architectural Digest, 10 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin centuria, irregular from centum hundred

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing century

• century plant
• the turn of the century

Rhymes for century

• penitentiary

Kids Definition

century

noun

cen·​tu·​ry ˈsench-(ə-)rē 

plural centuries

1

: a group of 100 things

2

: a period of 100 years