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

Except that was Joplin, someone who’s live-fast-burn-bright-die-young life and times had already been picked over for decades. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2025

Marlee Matlin has counted Henry Winkler as a close friend for decades, as a new documentary about the Oscar-winning actress attests. —Jack Smart, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025

According to our friends at Southern Living, despite the onion boil’s recent popularity, the concept of baked onions has been around down South for decades. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2025

Seagle’s last stop was the towering Moreton Bay fig that had shaded the property for decades. —Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025

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