1
: a group or set of 10
It isn't to be done in a day of course, nor yet in a century, —nor in a decade of centuries …—
Anthony Trollope
: such as
Anthony Trollope
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
The planned 90,000-square-foot project would represent the most significant change to the White House grounds in decades and is advancing even as it is challenged in court and questioned on Capitol Hill.
—Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026
The scheme is believed to have been carried out up to twenty times a day for the past decade.
—News Desk, Artforum, 13 Feb. 2026
Paula Pell may have spent the last decade stealing scenes in series like Girls5Eva, AP Bio and, now, The ‘Burbs, but the multihyphenate hasn’t moved on from writing.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
The gist of the 10 criminal charges against a public servant who has had a sterling record of decades of service on behalf of the city taxpayers as clerk and a commissioner of the Waukegan Park District was nebulous, a county judge and appellate panel have indicated.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decade
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Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026
The scheme is believed to have been carried out up to twenty times a day for the past decade.
—News Desk, Artforum, 13 Feb. 2026
Paula Pell may have spent the last decade stealing scenes in series like Girls5Eva, AP Bio and, now, The ‘Burbs, but the multihyphenate hasn’t moved on from writing.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
The gist of the 10 criminal charges against a public servant who has had a sterling record of decades of service on behalf of the city taxpayers as clerk and a commissioner of the Waukegan Park District was nebulous, a county judge and appellate panel have indicated.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decade
Cite this Entry
“Decade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decade. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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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