fifth

noun

ˈfith  ˈfif(t)th 

ˈfift

plural fifths ˈfiths 

ˈfif(t)ths,

ˈfif(t)s

1

: one that is number five in a series

Payment is due on the fifth of the month.

see Table of Numbers

2

: one of five equal parts of something

spent a fifth of their income on rent

3

a

: the musical interval embracing five diatonic degrees

b

: a tone at this interval

specifically : dominant sense 1

c

: the harmonic combination of two tones at this interval

4

: a unit of measure for liquor equal to one fifth of a U.S. gallon (0.757 liter)

5

the Fifth : the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

also : the right accorded by the Fifth Amendment to refuse to testify against oneself see also plead the Fifth, take the Fifth

fifth adjective or adverb

the fifth annual food festival

She finished fifth in the race.

fifthly adverb

Fourthly, it takes a lot of concrete to make a nuclear power plant. Fifthly, there is no place to put the waste that is safe.

—Victor Odlivak

Examples of fifth in a Sentence

The bill is due on the fifth of each month.

She donated a fifth of her income to charity.

bought a fifth of whiskey

Recent Examples on the Web

Counsell had Matt Shaw batting fifth in Japan against the Dodgers, but in Tuesday’s final tuneup for the season, Dansby Swanson was hitting fifth, Hoerner sixth and Shaw eighth, after Pete Crow-Armstrong. —Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

More than two months after hitting a six-figure all-time high, bitcoin is now trading at around $88,000, down nearly a fifth from its January peak. —Arsheeya Bajwa, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025

With a staff of some 120 people, the organization had a budget of about $28 million last year — less than a fifth of the San Francisco Public Library's budget. —Emma Bowman, NPR, 23 Mar. 2025

Nearly a fifth of the American Indian and Alaska Native population reported being in fair or poor health in 2023. —Solcyré Burga, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fifte, fifthe, from Old English fīfta, from fīf five

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing fifth

• fifth column
• fifth disease
• fifth wheel
• plead the fifth

Kids Definition

fifth

noun

ˈfith  ˈfif(t)th 

1

: one that is number five in a series see number

2

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

fifth adjective or adverb

fifthly adverb