1
: a group or set of 10
his prisoners were divided into decades—
William Godwin
: such as
William Godwin
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
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
He’s been a reporter in Northwest Arkansas for more than two decades.
—Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 26 May 2025
The path toward the graduation stage started a decade ago, when Rafael Perales noticed his daughter’s natural academic prowess.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
Jet fuel fumes and noise from heliports have been a source of complaints from communities for decades, leading Mayor Giuliani to shutter the E. 60th St. heliport in 1997.
—Eric Katzman, New York Daily News, 25 May 2025
It is projected to reach $2.6 billion in 2028 and $6 billion in annual sales within a decade, or more than a 400% jump from this year.
—Will Yakowicz, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decade
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Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 26 May 2025
The path toward the graduation stage started a decade ago, when Rafael Perales noticed his daughter’s natural academic prowess.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
Jet fuel fumes and noise from heliports have been a source of complaints from communities for decades, leading Mayor Giuliani to shutter the E. 60th St. heliport in 1997.
—Eric Katzman, New York Daily News, 25 May 2025
It is projected to reach $2.6 billion in 2028 and $6 billion in annual sales within a decade, or more than a 400% jump from this year.
—Will Yakowicz, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decade
Cite this Entry
“Decade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decade. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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