fifth

noun

\ ˈfith

, ˈfif(t)th, ˈfift

plural fifths\ ˈfiths

, ˈfif(t)ths , ˈfif(t)s \

Definition of fifth

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

2a : 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

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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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

At the beginning of June, that gap was closer to four-fifths of a penny. — Ben Eisen, WSJ, "Push to Overhaul Fannie, Freddie Nudges Up Mortgage Costs," 25 June 2019 Technically, the Diamondbacks have rookies occupying three-fifths of their rotation. — Nick Piecoro, azcentral, "Dejected Jon Duplantier receives encouragement after rough outing against Phillies," 12 June 2019 Democrats hold three-fifths supermajorities in both chambers of the Oregon Legislature. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon House speaker: Republicans just wanted to be heard," 4 June 2019 Landlocked Alberta churns out four-fifths of Canadian crude. — Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, "Canadian government to decide on controversial pipeline expansion. Trudeau faces political peril either way.," 17 June 2019 The roughly three fifths of Americans who disapprove of Trump have felt a persistent sense that all of our resources must be mobilized toward the goal of resistance. — Christopher Beha, Harper's magazine, "Winning the Peace," 10 May 2019 Four-fifths of institutions have private scholarship policies that the National Scholarship Providers Association considers optimal. — Cheryl Winokur Munk, WSJ, "Why Getting Too Many College Scholarships Can Actually be a Problem," 10 Feb. 2019 Analysts estimate that four-fifths of ZTE’s products have American components. — Kevin Granville, New York Times, "What Is ZTE? A Chinese Geopolitical Pawn That Trump Wants to Rescue.," 7 June 2018 Her predecessor, Judge John Phillips, a Republican, was one of two judges responsible for one fifth of the children sent to the state’s juvenile prisons, about 96 percent of whom were children of color. — Taylor Crumpton, Marie Claire, "The Story of the Historic Election of 19 African American Female Judges in Texas," 16 Apr. 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near fifth

fifteener

fifteen-pounder

fifteen-spined stickleback

Statistics for fifth

Last Updated

4 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for fifth

The first known use of fifth was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for fifth

fifth

noun

English Language Learners Definition of fifth

: 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

See the full definition for fifth in the English Language Learners Dictionary

fifth

adjective

\ ˈfifth