fifth

noun \ ˈfith , ˈfif(t)th , ˈfift \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 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

Airbnb accordingly eliminated four-fifths of its roughly 60,000 listings in Japan.

— The Economist, "Why Japan’s sharing economy is tiny," 14 June 2018
In other words, adding just a drizzle of ketchup to your plate accounts for one fifth of your suggested sugar intake for the entire day.

— anthea levi, Health.com, "3 Crazy Easy Ways to Cut Back on Sugar," 7 June 2018
In its finished state, Máximo measures 122-feet long, from head-to-tail—four-fifths the height of the Chicago Water Tower.

— ryan smith, Chicago Reader, "Move over, T-Rex: Field Museum shows off the diversity of dinos from outside America," 30 May 2018
Three-fifths of the money raised will go to building new, affordable housing, while the rest will fund emergency services for the homeless.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Amazon 'Questions' Its Growth In Seattle After City Passes Watered-Down Tax to Help Homeless," 15 May 2018
In 1970, Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank with liquid oxygen burst.

— BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 13 Apr. 2018
Under the four-fifths rule, college-degree requirements disproportionately affect white workers when compared with Asians, and black and Hispanic workers when compared with whites and Asians.

— frederick m. hess and, WSJ, "Degree Inflation and Discrimination," 2 Apr. 2018
Both have been as close to unhittable as realistically possible this season, with Sale ranking fifth and Cole second in fWAR among AL starting pitchers.

— michael beller, SI.com, "The Table Setter: The Astros Head for a Grueling Stretch While Jose Altuve Heats Up," 28 May 2018
Larson was third, Truex Jr. fourth and Chase Elliott fifth.

— mike hembree, USA TODAY, "Kevin Harvick (Who else?) wins All-Star race, takes home $1 million top prize," 19 May 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