decades
- 1Plural of decade.
Scientists have tracked the glacier's retreat over several decades.
The neighborhood changed dramatically across three decades of development.
Note
A plain -s plural that serves every meaning of decade: ten years, ten days in the French Revolutionary calendar, the prayer sets counted on a rosary, the books of Livy. Standing alone in for decades, it names a long stretch without measuring it, as when The Economist wrote in 2013, "For decades American politicians have assumed that mass incarceration works." Put a number in front (three decades) and it becomes a measurement again.
decades is a form of decade
decade, noun: A period of ten years, especially one that runs from a year ending in 0 to a year ending in 9. Full entry
- Forms
- decadedecades plural
- Spelling
- decade → decades: add -s
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /z/.
Use it in a sentence
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