decade

noun

de·​cade ˈde-ˌkād 

de-ˈkād;

especially sense 1b ˈde-kəd

1

: a group or set of 10

It isn't to be done in a day of course, nor yet in a century, —nor in a decade of centuries …

—Anthony Trollope

: such as

a

: a period of 10 years

has been teaching for over a decade

the decade of the twenties

b

Roman Catholicism : a division of the rosary that consists primarily of 10 Hail Marys

2

mathematics : a ratio of 10 to 1 : order of magnitude

decadal

ˈde-kə-dᵊl 

adjective

Examples of decade in a Sentence

The war lasted nearly a decade.

The bridge was built a decade ago.

The decade of the 1920s runs from January 1, 1920 to December 31, 1929.

the first decade of the 21st century

There have been a lot of changes during the past two decades.

Recent Examples on the Web

Although the divorce left Cher with limited immediate wealth, the royalty agreement proved to be valuable in the long-term, reportedly earning her tens of millions of dollars paid out gradually over decades. —Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026

The decades-old restaurant is nestled in a 2-story building in Elizabeth, serving up barbecue shrimp and live music and carefree N’awlins vibes. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 6 Jan. 2026

Acevedo, who was born in Miami-Dade County and is a graduate of Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, brings more than two decades of experience working with Congress and policymakers on bipartisan national security, foreign affairs and democracy issues. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026

Lego's construction sets have been a fantastic choice for analog play for several decades now. —New Atlas, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French décade, from Late Latin decad-, decas, from Greek dekad-, dekas, from deka — see deca-

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing decade

• decade-long

Rhymes for decade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

decade

noun

de·​cade ˈdek-ˌād 

-əd;

de-ˈkād;

sense 3 is usually ˈdek-əd

1

: a group or set of 10

2

: a period of 10 years

3

: a part of the rosary made up mainly of 10 Hail Marys