twenty
TWEHN-tee
Twenty (num) means the number after nineteen and before twenty-one; 20. Example: “She turned twenty last week.”
num
1
The number after nineteen and before twenty-one; 20.
"She turned twenty last week."
"They ordered twenty chairs for the event."
"There are twenty students in my English class this term."
noun
1
A banknote worth 20 units of currency.
"He paid for the meal with a crisp twenty."
"Could you break this twenty into smaller notes, please?"
"She found a forgotten twenty in the pocket of her old coat."
How to use twenty
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe number 20, or informally a twenty-dollar (or -pound) bill.
Common pairings
a twenty-dollar bill
twenty years old
twenty minutes
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Word forms
- Plural
- twenties
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She turned _____ last week.
Etymology
From Old English twēntiġ, literally "two tens," an old Germanic compound built the same way as thirty and forty.
Synonyms
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20
a score
XX
twenty dollar bill
Rhymes for twenty
See all rhymes for twenty →Frequently asked questions
What does “twenty” mean?
The word “twenty” means the number after nineteen and before twenty-one; 20. In plain terms, the number 20, or informally a twenty-dollar (or -pound) bill.
How do you pronounce “twenty”?
“Twenty” is pronounced TWEHN-tee (/ˈtwɛnti/ in IPA).
How do you use “twenty” in a sentence?
Here is “twenty” used in a sentence: “She turned twenty last week.”
What part of speech is “twenty”?
Depending on how it is used, “twenty” can be a num and a noun.
Where does the word “twenty” come from?
The word “twenty” comes from Old English. From Old English twēntiġ, literally "two tens," an old Germanic compound built the same way as thirty and forty.
Is “twenty” a common word?
“Twenty” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “twenty” have?
“Twenty” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the number after nineteen and before twenty-one; 20.
How do you spell the number 20?
The number 20 is spelled t-w-e-n-t-y, 'twenty.' People sometimes muddle it with 'twelve' (12) or misspell it as 'twentie,' but the correct written form is twenty. The ordinal version, used to show position in a sequence, is 'twentieth,' written 20th — as in the twentieth of the month.
What is twenty in Roman numerals?
Twenty is written as XX in Roman numerals. It combines two X symbols, each representing ten, which are added together to make 20. Roman numerals had no zero, so larger numbers were built by grouping letters like this. The neighbouring values are XXI for 21 and XIX for 19.
Is twenty a cardinal or ordinal number?
Twenty is a cardinal number, meaning it counts quantity — twenty apples, twenty years. The matching ordinal number, which shows position in a sequence, is 'twentieth' (20th). Cardinals answer the question 'how many,' while ordinals answer 'which one in order.' Both share the same root but do different jobs.
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