all fours

plural noun

1
a
: all four legs of a quadruped
b
: the two legs and two arms of a person when used to support the body
down on all fours
After a few tense moments, she dropped to all foursCarl Hiassen
2
singular in construction : any of various card games in which points are scored for the high trump, low trump, jack of trumps, and game

Word History

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of all fours was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near all fours

Cite this Entry

“All fours.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all%20fours. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

all fours

plural noun
: all four legs of a four-legged animal or the two legs and two arms of a person
got down on all fours

More from Merriam-Webster on all fours

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!