fifth

noun \ ˈfith , ˈfif(t)th , ˈfift \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Examples: fifth in a Sentence

Definition of fifth

plural fifths play \ˈfiths, ˈfif(t)ths, ˈfif(t)s\

1 : one that is number five in a series — see Table of Numbers

2 a : the musical interval embracing five diatonic degrees

b : a tone at this interval; specifically : dominant 1

c : the harmonic combination of two tones at this interval

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

4 capitalized : the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution; also : the right accorded by the Fifth Amendment to refuse to testify against oneself —usually used in the phrase take the Fifth

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fifth

adjective or adverb

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fifthly

adverb

See fifth defined for English-language learners

See fifth defined for kids

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 of fifth from the Web

Without the required support of four-fifths of the EU’s countries even to get to an earlier stage of condemnation, the procedure has reached an impasse.

— The Economist, "Poland’s government sacks a third of its Supreme Court," 5 July 2018
The victory was Busch’s fifth of the season and the second of his career at Chicagoland, the other occurring in 2008.

— tony baranek, Daily Southtown, "Contact sport: Kyle Busch survives bumping battle with Kyle Larson to end Chicagoland drought," 1 July 2018
The Panthers have four-fifths of their offensive line back from last season, although the departure was significant — All-Pro left guard Andrew Norwell.

— joseph person, charlotteobserver, "5 accomplishments that would signal success in this week's Carolina Panthers minicamp," 11 June 2018
The proposed law could only have been changed at the ballot box or by a four-fifths vote of the Board of Supervisors.

— evan sernoffsky, SFChronicle.com, "SF police effort to get Tasers set back," 29 June 2018
This showed that those in the bottom two-fifths of RNFL thickness were twice as likely to have suffered a decline in cognitive function as those in the top fifth.

— The Economist, "The eye's structure holds information about the health of the mind," 28 June 2018
Despite the shaky fifth, Koch came back out for the sixth and was greeted with another homer by Kole Calhoun, a blast that turned out to be the decisive run.

— nick piecoro, azcentral, "Diamondbacks' Matt Koch roughed up by Angels in possibly final start," 19 June 2018
On the other end of the spectrum, the fifth of homes with the lowest readmission rates return fewer than 17 percent of residents to the hospital.

— jordan rau, Washington Post, "Medicare Takes Aim At Boomerang Hospitalizations Of Nursing Home Patients," 13 June 2018
Then, after Torres’s solo homer tied it in the fifth, Soto blasted a bases-empty shot off Chasen Shreve deep into the right-field bleachers in the seventh to give the lead back to Washington for good.

— david waldstein, New York Times, "Yankees Fall to Nationals as Steinbrenner Hints at Pitching Acquisition," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fifth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fifth

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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FIFTH Defined for English Language Learners

fifth

noun

Definition of fifth for English Language Learners

: number five in a series
: one of five equal parts of something
: a unit of measure for alcoholic liquor that is equal to one fifth of a U.S. gallon (approximately 750 ml); also : a bottle that holds this amount of liquor