fourth

noun

ˈfȯrth 

plural fourths ˈfȯr(th)s 

1

: one that is number four in a series

I was the fourth to arrive.

They arrive on the fourth. [=the fourth day of the month]

see Table of Numbers

2

: one of four equal parts of something : quarter entry 1

Cut the cake into fourths.

a fourth of the population

3

a

: a musical interval (see interval sense 2) embracing four tones of the diatonic scale

b

: a tone at this interval

specifically : subdominant sense 1

c

: the harmonic combination of two tones a fourth apart

4

: the fourth forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle

shifted into fourth

5

the Fourth : July 4 observed as a legal holiday in the U.S. in commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 : Fourth of July

watched fireworks on the Fourth

called also Independence Day

fourth adjective or adverb

the fourth edition of a book

the fourth tallest mountain

fourthly adverb

Fourthly, don't sing a whole opera through …

—Mark Twain

Examples of fourth in a Sentence

cut the cake into fourths

She drank a fourth of the bottle.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Mavericks mounted a comeback as Dončić and Kyrie Irving finally found their offensive rhythm in the fourth. —Kevin Dotson, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024

In that game, Minnesota’s aggressive, athletic and rangy defense choked out the Warriors’ offense in the halfcourt, limiting Golden State to a 15-point second quarter and an 18-point fourth. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024

Bottle pee–er Dwayne Johnson, who voices the boisterous South Pacific super-human Maui in Moana 2, logged two movies in the top five over the weekend; his Amazon MGM Christmas-on-creatine action flick, Red One, came in a distant fourth with $18.7 million in North American receipts. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2024

Matthews, who set Linganore’s school rushing record Friday night, added two more touchdowns in the fourth to build a commanding three-touchdown lead. —Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see four

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing fourth

• a poor second/third/fourth
• fourth dimension
• fourth estate
• fourth trimester
• fourth wall
• fourth world
• sixty-fourth note
• sixty-fourth rest

Kids Definition

fourth

noun

ˈfō(ə)rth 

ˈfȯ(ə)rth

1

: one that is number four in a series see number

2

: the difference in pitch between the first tone and the fourth tone of a scale

fourth adjective or adverb

fourthly adverb