decade

decade — noun

1. A stretch of ten consecutive years. The word is often used to talk about named b

1.名詞B1
釋義

A stretch of ten consecutive years. The word is often used to talk about named blocks of time such as the 1990s or the 2010s.

例句

Over the past decade, the number of students at the school has nearly doubled.

over the past decade — common time phrase with present perfect

By the end of that decade, Apinya had saved enough to buy a small flat.

by the end of the decade — time-marker phrase

同義詞
  • ten years

    everyday equivalent; 'ten years' is more neutral and less formal than 'decade'

  • ten-year span

    emphasises the continuous length of the period

文法句型

determiner + decade (a decade, the decade, that decade)

preposition + the + decade (over the decade, during the decade)

用法筆記

Frequently used with 'over', 'during', 'in', 'for', or 'throughout' to show when something happened or how long it lasted. Also very common with a specific number (e.g., 'two decades', 'several decades').

常見錯誤

❌I haven't seen her in a decade' (meaning only a few years).
✅I haven't seen her in years.
💡'a decade' means exactly ten years, not any long period.
❌This is the first decade I have owned a car' (after five years).
✅This is the first time in ten years that I have owned a car.
💡'decade' refers to a ten-year block, not just any stretch of time.