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

Folding in half is ineffective and may result in overhandling the dough by the time the layers are built; folding into fourths makes the dough unwieldy. —Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Feb. 2026

After a 14-14 halftime tie, the Seahawks took a 10-point lead in the third quarter, only for the Patriots to score two touchdowns in the fourth for a 28-24 advantage just before the two-minute warning. —Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026

Alcohol abuse was a contributing factor in three of those deaths, according to the ME’s office, with use of methamphetamines a factor in a fourth. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026

The Timberwolves led 77-59 early in the third quarter but watched that lead evaporate midway through the fourth. —Staff, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026

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

Rhymes for fourth

• henceforth
• thenceforth

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