20

Meanings

1. 1numberbefore a noun

   The whole number equal to two groups of ten.

   Grammar: Stands before a noun to give an amount: 20 minutes; contrast the ordinal 20th minute.

   Patterns

   • 20 minutes
   • 20 percent of something
   • 20 people

   The bus leaves in 20 minutes.

   About 20 people came to the neighborhood meeting.

   She drank 20 ounces of water after the run.

2. 2numbercountable

   Used as a noun for an amount, score, answer, or age.

   Grammar: Can follow an or the: a 20 on the quiz; plural 20s usually means the decade or ages.

   Patterns

   • a 20
   • the number 20
   • in your 20s

   He scored a 20 on the practice test.

   Choose a number from 1 to 20.

   She was in her 20s when she moved abroad.

3. 3numbercountableinformal

   Informally, a twenty-dollar bill or the amount twenty dollars.

   Grammar: Takes an in the singular: a 20; this is money slang, not classroom math style.

   Patterns

   • a 20
   • lend me a 20
   • break a 20

   Can you break a 20 for the parking meter?

   I only have a 20, so I need change.

   He lent me a 20 until payday.

Common combinations

20 percent

Roughly 20 percent of the class chose art.

20 years old

The building is 20 years old this spring.

20/20 vision

After treatment, she had 20/20 vision again.

a $20 bill

The ATM gave me a $20 bill.

top 20

The song reached the top 20 last week.

Synonyms and how they differ

score

Score means twenty, but it sounds literary or old-fashioned compared with the everyday number 20.

Word family

twenty number

The cardinal number spelled out.

twentieth number

The ordinal form used for position or date.

twenties noun

The decade from 20 to 29, or the ages in that range.

Commonly confused: 20 or 20th? 20 or twelve?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “20”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words