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
While Carver has been updating its long-range estimates for decades, the city has shifted its focus from five year plans to 10 year plans.
—Graham P. Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The document also threatens to deport Afghans holding an Afghan Citizen Card, another form of registration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan issued almost a decade ago.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
She's been working in media for over a decade, and her writing on design, beauty, wellness, culture, and style has appeared elsewhere in publications like Dwell, The Financial Times, PAPER, GQ, New York Magazine's The Cut, and ...
—Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2025
The rivalry between gangs in both areas stretches back decades.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for decade 
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Graham P. Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The document also threatens to deport Afghans holding an Afghan Citizen Card, another form of registration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan issued almost a decade ago.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
She's been working in media for over a decade, and her writing on design, beauty, wellness, culture, and style has appeared elsewhere in publications like Dwell, The Financial Times, PAPER, GQ, New York Magazine's The Cut, and ...
—Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2025
The rivalry between gangs in both areas stretches back decades.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for decade
Dictionary Entries Near decade
Cite this Entry
“Decade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decade. Accessed 9 Feb. 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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