10th

10th — noun

1. the person or thing that comes after the ninth and before the eleventh in a numb

1.nounA1
Definition

the person or thing that comes after the ninth and before the eleventh in a numbered order — for example, the runner who finishes 10th in a race, or the 10th item on a list.

Example

Yuki finished 10th in the city marathon, beating her personal best by four minutes.

ordinal in competition context

The doctor's office is on the 10th floor of the Riverside Medical Tower.

10th floor of a building

Common collocations
  • 10th place
  • 10th position
  • 10th anniversary
  • 10th birthday
  • 10th floor
Antonyms
  • 1st

    first in the same series

Usage Note

Common in dates: 'the 10th of March' or 'March 10th'. In formal writing, 'tenth' is preferred over '10th' for numbers below 100.

Common Mistakes

She was the 10th who arrived.
She was the 10th person to arrive.
As a noun referring to a person, 'the 10th' is usually followed by a noun or a relative clause.

2. one of ten equal parts of a whole; the fraction 1/10 — for example, a tenth of a

2.nounA2
Definition

one of ten equal parts of a whole; the fraction 1/10 — for example, a tenth of a cake, or a tenth of the population.

Example

Mei ate only a tenth of the cake because she was saving room.

fraction: a tenth of [something]

About a tenth of the village homes were damaged in the flood last spring.

Common collocations
  • a tenth of
  • one tenth
  • tenth of a second
  • tenth of a percent
Synonyms
  • tithe

    archaic term for a tenth, used historically for church tax

Usage Note

Can be written as 'one tenth', 'a tenth', or '1/10'. In measurements, the symbol ⅒ is sometimes used. Decimal notation: 0.1.

Common Mistakes

We need ten part of the money.
We need a tenth of the money.
Use 'a tenth of' not 'ten part of'.

3. in music theory, the interval spanning one octave plus a third (10 diatonic scal

3.nounC1
Definition

in music theory, the interval spanning one octave plus a third (10 diatonic scale degrees), or the individual tone that forms this interval with the root note.

Example

The piano teacher asked Olu to stretch and play a 10th for the final chord.

play a 10th (on piano)

In the jazz piece, the trumpets and saxophones play a 10th apart.

Common collocations
  • play a 10th
  • major 10th
  • minor 10th
  • 10th interval

Usage Note

Primarily used in formal music theory or by advanced instrumentalists. A 10th can be major (16 semitones) or minor (15 semitones). On the piano, wide intervals like the 10th are often rolled or arpeggiated by players with smaller hands.

Word family

  • ten
    numberA1
  • tenth
    adjectiveA1
  • tenth
    nounA1
  • tenthly
    adverbC1
  • tenfold
    adjectiveB2
  • tenfold
    adverbB2
  • decile
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'10th' is the numeral form of 'tenth' — both mean the same ordinal position, but '10th' is more common in informal notes, addresses, and dates ('the 10th floor', 'May 10th'), while 'tenth' is preferred in formal prose ('the tenth chapter', 'the tenth century'). 'Decile' is a statistical term meaning any of the nine values that divide a data set into ten equal groups, or the groups themselves — it is unrelated to the ordinal meaning. For example: 'She finished in the top decile of her class' refers to a statistical grouping, not a rank number.

10th ↗tenth ↗decile

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • come in 10th
  • finish 10th
  • rank 10th
  • in 10th place
  • the 10th of May

Prepositions

  • in 10th position
  • on the 10th floor
  • of (a tenth of the students)

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

'10th' is the numeral abbreviation of 'tenth'. 'Tenth' comes from Old English 'tēoþa', from Proto-Germanic '*tehundô', which itself derives from Proto-Indo-European '*déḱm̥tō', the ordinal form of '*déḱm̥' (ten). Related forms appear across Germanic languages: Old Frisian 'tigotha', Old Saxon 'tegado', Old High German 'zehanto', and Old Norse 'tíundi'.