decade

noun

de·​cade ˈde-ˌkād 

de-ˈkād;

 especially sense 1b  ˈde-kəd

1

: a group or set of 10

his prisoners were divided into decades

—William Godwin

: 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

In a recent episode of the Talking Pictures podcast shared last week, the Barbie actress, 34, remembered the role that shifted her career just over a decade ago. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024

Those who can change with their clients’ needs and pivot as needed are more likely to build a business that will be in business for decades to come. —Melissa Houston, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

In the decade up to 2023, sea levels have risen by a global average of around 1.7 inches, with parts of the Pacific rising higher. —Molly Quell, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024

Their work will open up the series to a broader tragic resonance echoing down the decades. —John Hopewell, Variety, 2 Dec. 2024

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

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