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

Freeman added a 24-yard field goal early in the third quarter and the Tar Heels put together a 96-yard touchdown drive in the fourth, with senior running back Caleb Hood taking direct snaps from the quarterback position and giving the Huskies trouble. —Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 28 Dec. 2024

Chicago ran 11 total plays combined over their first three drives, continuously stalling until some life came in the fourth. —Scott Thompson, Fox News, 27 Dec. 2024

The latest standoff in 2023 led to a $20 billion reduction in funding for the IRS, cutting a fourth of the $80 billion Democrats had allocated for revamping the tax collection agency. —Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 19 Dec. 2024

Per usual, the 14 companies listed in the chart below accounted four about three fourths of all TV viewing in the United States. —Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 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