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

When the show was over, the cast and writers would head to Danny’s Hide-A-Way, on Steak Row (East Forty-fifth Street), where Caesar would down a bottle of Stolichnaya and lead the others in a Trimalchian feast—sometimes throwing up, either from nerves or from the desire to keep eating. —David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

That includes four-fifths of a very good starting offensive line and star running back Taylor, among others. —Mike Sando, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

That’s up from , enough to comprise nearly one-fifth of all money invested in the stock market. —Mark Dent, HubSpot, 7 Nov. 2025

Myanmar made at least $400 million in timber exports since the coup, roughly a fifth of which came from sanctioned markets of the United States and the European Union, international trade data analyzed by the Herald shows. —Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

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