Words / B1

DEK-ayd/ˈdekeɪd/

A decade is ten years. A century is a hundred; a generation is roughly 20–30 years. In the last decade / over the past decade is typical news language. Decade is countable: two decades. Do not use it for “a long time” if you do not mean about ten years.

Meaning

A period of ten years.

Examples

• “She lived in London for a decade.”
• “Crime has fallen over the past decade.”
• “The company grew fast in the 1990s — a whole decade of expansion.”

Good to know

a decade = 10 years. century = 100. Phrase: in the last decade.

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