ten

noun
\ ˈten How to pronounce ten (audio) \

Definition of ten

1 : a number that is one more than nine — see Table of Numbers
2 : the 10th in a set or series wears a ten
3 : something having 10 units or members
4 : a 10-dollar bill
5 : one deserving the highest rating specifically : an exceptionally attractive person

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Other Words from ten

ten adjective
ten pronoun, plural in construction

Synonyms & Antonyms for ten

Synonyms

babe [slang], cutie (or cutey), dish, doll, dreamboat [slang], fox, glamour-puss, hottie, knockout, looker, showstopper

Antonyms

dog

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Examples of ten in a Sentence

“What time is it” “It's ten.” promised me that she would fix me up with a ten

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s exactly what happened Tuesday, when a smattering of high-profile celebrities and public figures with a collective following in the tens of millions were duped by an old Instagram myth. Louise Matsakis, WIRED, "An Old Instagram Hoax Fools a Bunch of Celebrities," 21 Aug. 2019 Dramatic day-long hearings that are shown on broadcast and cable generally reach a cumulative audience in the tens of millions. Brian Stelter, CNN, "How TV anchors are preparing for the Mueller hearing," 23 July 2019 After all, this was his boss, spending 50 bucks here and $200 there, in a city with an annual budget in the tens of millions of dollars. Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, "At Troy City Hall, report says, finance director aided thieving boss," 22 July 2019 But as word spread, the event broadened its international reach, attracting groups from across Central Asia and a domestic audience in the tens of thousands. Jacob Mikanowski, Harper's magazine, "The Call of the Drums," 21 July 2019 Then there are many more who have amounts large enough to be difficult to service, in the tens of thousands of dollars, often around the means and medians for all students. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Real World Economics: Student debt issue needs more study," 30 June 2019 The audience, which spans the globe and flocks to popular gamers on YouTube and streaming platforms such as Twitch, is in the tens of millions. Peter Holley, The Denver Post, "Carpal tunnel, back pain and social anxiety: Inside the injury-plagued world of professional gaming," 16 June 2019 But rather than deterring gossip, each new post has only watered the conspiracy theories flowering in the tens of thousands of comments beneath it. New York Times, "When Britney Spears Posts on Instagram, a Thousand Conspiracies Flower," 12 June 2019 Researchers have estimated membership in the tens of thousands to several hundred thousand. Stephen Wright, Fox News, "When disaster hits, Indonesia's Islamists are first to help," 11 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of ten

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for ten

Middle English, going back to Old English tīen (West Saxon), tēn, going back to Germanic *tehun (whence also Old Frisian tiān, tiēn "ten," Old Saxon tehan, Old High German zehan, Old Norse tíu, Gothic taihun), going back to Indo-European *deḱm̥, whence also Old Irish deich "ten," Welsh deg, Latin decem, Old Church Slavic desętĭ, Lithuanian dẽšimt, Albanian dhjetë, Greek déka, Armenian tasn, Tocharian A śäk, Tocharian B śak, Avestan dasa, Sanskrit daśa

Note: The Slavic, Baltic, and perhaps Albanian forms are derived from the ordinal base *deḱm̥-t-.

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More Definitions for ten

ten

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ten

: the number 10
: the tenth in a set or series
: ten o'clock

ten

adjective
\ ˈten How to pronounce ten (audio) \

Kids Definition of ten

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: being one more than nine

ten

noun

Kids Definition of ten (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : one more than nine : two times five : 10
2 : the tenth in a set or series

Medical Definition of TEN

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