eighty

noun

plural eighties
1
: a number that is equal to eight times 10 see Table of Numbers
2
eighties plural : the numbers 80 to 89
specifically : the years 80 to 89 in a lifetime or century
eightieth adjective or noun
eighty adjective
eighty pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of eighty in a Sentence

The temperature rose to the high eighties. She is in her mid-eighties.
Recent Examples on the Web In the late nineteen-seventies and early eighties, classical education reëmerged as a pushback against these trends. Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 The eighties, particularly in New York City, are remembered for being an era of excess. Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 The gender gap in wages, which had stagnated in the eighties, was on its way up again. Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2024 This particular technique, popular in the eighties and nineties as a visually impressive single-serving method for cooking proteins, also happens to result in a tender and very juicy roast bird—which happens to be near unphotographable. Hazlitt, 14 Feb. 2024 Now and then, in the seventies and eighties, one of the big museums would show an African American artist. Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Thomas interviews a fashion writer, Lisa Young, who recalls sitting next to a young Galliano at a London dinner in the eighties. Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2024 The Ram-temple movement was activated in the eighties. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2024 The characters originated in the early eighties as a colorful childlike crowd that interacted with Lord and Sproxton’s classic character Morph. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eighty.' 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 eighty, adjective, from Old English eahtatig, short for hundeahtatig, noun, group of eighty, from hund-, literally, hundred + eahta eight + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of eighty was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near eighty

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

eighty

noun
plural eighties
: a number that is equal to eight times 10 see number
eightieth adjective or noun
eighty adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on eighty

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