fifth

noun

ˈfith  ˈfif(t)th 

ˈfift

plural fifths ˈfiths 

ˈfif(t)ths, 

ˈfif(t)s

1

: one that is number five in a series

Payment is due on the fifth of the month.

see Table of Numbers

2

: one of five equal parts of something

spent a fifth of their income on rent

3

a

: 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

4

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

5

the Fifth : the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

also : the right accorded by the Fifth Amendment to refuse to testify against oneself see also plead the fifth, take the fifth

fifth adjective or adverb

the fifth annual food festival

She finished fifth in the race.

fifthly adverb

Fourthly, it takes a lot of concrete to make a nuclear power plant. Fifthly, there is no place to put the waste that is safe.

—Victor Odlivak

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

In the fifth, the Indians had a runner on third with one out when Morales retired the next two hitters on a ground out to first and a pop up to short. —Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026

Nearly two months since the war in the Middle East first broke out, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to almost all traffic, despite an ongoing ceasefire and negotiations to reopen the critical chokepoint that locked up one fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply in the Persian Gulf. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026

That hasn’t lowered tensions in the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime. —Munir Ahmed, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

That hasn’t lowered tensions in the strait the strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime. —ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing fifth

• fifth column
• fifth disease
• fifth wheel
• plead the fifth

Kids Definition

fifth

noun

ˈfith  ˈfif(t)th 

1

: one that is number five in a series see number

2

: the difference in pitch between the first tone and the fifth tone of a scale

fifth adjective or adverb

fifthly adverb