ten

noun

ˈten 

plural tens

1

: a number that is one more than nine see Table of Numbers

2

: the 10th in a set or series

wears a ten

3

: something having 10 units or members

4

: a 10-dollar bill

5

: one deserving the highest rating

specifically : an exceptionally attractive person

ten adjective

ten pronoun, plural in construction

see also take ten

Synonyms

• babe [slang]
• cutie
• cutey
• dish
• doll
• dreamboat [slang]
• fox
• glamour-puss
• hottie
• knockout
• looker
• showstopper

Examples of ten in a Sentence

“What time is it” “It's ten.”

promised me that she would fix me up with a ten

Recent Examples on the Web

Between the lines: Cutting Watson before his contract expires in 2026 would still cost the Browns tens of millions of dollars, while his high salary makes a trade highly unlikely. —Troy Smith, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024

But collaring millions of people, even if only hundreds of thousands in any one year, will require tens of thousands of agents, perhaps equivalent to a new Marine Corps, thousands of buses, barracks or tents plus guards, cooks, medics and doctors. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 17 Nov. 2024

This global deep freeze, known as Snowball Earth, endured for tens of millions of years. —Liam Courtney-Davies, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control alone has more than 200 staff members and an annual budget in the tens of millions of dollars. —Agathe Demarais, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, going back to Old English tīen (West Saxon), tēn, going back to Germanic *tehun (whence also Old Frisian tiān, tiēn "ten," Old Saxon tehan, Old High German zehan, Old Norse tíu, Gothic taihun), going back to Indo-European *deḱm̥, whence also Old Irish deich "ten," Welsh deg, Latin decem, Old Church Slavic desętĭ, Lithuanian dẽšimt, Albanian dhjetë, Greek déka, Armenian tasn, Tocharian A śäk, Tocharian B śak, Avestan dasa, Sanskrit daśa

Note: The Slavic, Baltic, and perhaps Albanian forms are derived from the ordinal base *deḱm̥-t-.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ten

• five-and-ten
• hang ten
• nine times out of ten
• not touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole
• take ten
• ten a penny
• ten-eighty
• ten-gallon hat
• ten out of ten
• ten-speed
• ten-strike
• ten to one

Kids Definition

ten

noun

ˈten 

1

: a number that is one more than nine see number

2

: the tenth in a set or series

the ten of hearts

3

: something having ten units or members

4

: a 10-dollar bill

ten adjective or pronoun

Medical Definition

TEN

abbreviation

toxic epidermal necrolysis