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

Four were found in an upstairs area, Deputy Chief Jackson said, and a fifth was found in a bay. — Joe Barrett, WSJ, "Aurora Shooter Was Terminated, Then Killed Plant Manager, HR and Factory Workers," 16 Feb. 2019 Republicans currently hold 21 seats in Texas’s 31-seat state Senate, giving them the three-fifths supermajority needed to pass any legislation without Democrats. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "Beto O’Rourke could lead a blue wave in Texas — even though he lost his Senate race," 7 Nov. 2018 The median American has less than $12,000 in savings, while people in the bottom two-fifths of the income scale have nothing at all. — Bryce Covert, Glamour, "America Could at Last Pass Paid Leave. But What Good Is a Plan That Excludes Millions of Women?," 2 Apr. 2019 Instead, 60 Senate votes — three-fifths of the chamber — are needed. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "The nuclear option, explained.," 21 Dec. 2018 Johnson continued running, eventually finding cover under what the U.S. military described as a thorny tree three-fifths of a mile from the vehicle. — Paul Sonne And And Dan Lamothe, BostonGlobe.com, "Missing for 48 hours: Pentagon details Army sergeant’s final moments in Niger," 12 May 2018 Fadi Hassan of Trinity College Dublin finds that in the poorest fifth of countries, most of them in Africa, the relationship goes into reverse: penniless places cost more than slightly richer ones. — The Economist, "Why Africa’s poor pay high prices," 15 Mar. 2018 Over the course of a day, a domestic cat can transfer up to a fifth of a cup of water to its fur. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Science says your cat’s tongue is ideally suited for grooming fur," 28 Dec. 2018 Even looking at all 181 districts where one-fifth or more of the residents qualify as rural, Republicans hold 155 seats and Democrats just 26 (including Bustos' seat). — Ronald Brownstein, CNN, "Trade war threatens the GOP's firewall in 2018," 10 Apr. 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.

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Dictionary Entries near fifth

fifteener

fifteen-pounder

fifteen-spined stickleback

Statistics for fifth

Last Updated

9 May 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