decade

noun

de·​cade ˈde-ˌkād How to pronounce decade (audio)
de-ˈkād;
 especially sense 1b  ˈde-kəd
1
: a group or set of 10
his prisoners were divided into decadesWilliam 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 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 addition, the state’s shift to the Local Control Funding Formula a decade ago has provided more money for students with higher needs, although inequities persist. Calmatters, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 After reuniting a decade ago and going on several tours since then, Swedish post-hardcore luminaries Refused have announced their final festival show in their home country. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2024 But China has been dramatically increasing military funding and investment in new defense technologies over the past decade and analysts say that Beijing's military capabilities, especially in the digital realm and drone warfare, are formidable. Emily Feng, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Joel manages himself, and Mercuri is part of his tight inner circle, many of whom have also been with him for decades. Melinda Newman, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2024 Each family’s case is different, but a decisive legal victory for one often benefits many, and Jewish families, restitution experts and attorneys the world over have been watching the Cassirer case closely for decades. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Donovan made the claim when a reporter asked why the Chiefs would want to remain at Arrowhead for decades to come — at a cost of $800 million — when the Royals have cited deteriorating concrete at The K as one reason the team says staying there long term is not an option. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 There were signs of growth in the production of durum wheat, corn for silage, and several forage crops — an increase that matches that of the dairy industry in the past decades. The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 And the slow growth of GDP in the decades before the war will likely continue after it's ended, leading to a slow economic recovery, stated the report by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of decade was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near decade

Cite this Entry

“Decade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decade. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

decade

noun
de·​cade ˈdek-ˌād How to pronounce decade (audio)
-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

More from Merriam-Webster on decade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!