four

noun \ ˈfȯr \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Examples: four in a Sentence

Definition of four

1 : a number that is one more than three — see Table of Numbers

2 : the fourth in a set or series

the four of hearts

3 : something having four units or members: such as

a : a 4-oared racing shell or its crew

b : a 4-cylinder engine or automobile

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four

adjective

—

four

pronoun, plural in construction

See four defined for English-language learners

See four defined for kids

Examples of four in a Sentence

“What time is it?” “It's four.”
I leave each day at four.

Recent Examples of four from the Web

In Los Angeles, Schindler was building his very early Modernist masterpiece out of two-by-fours and two-by-sixes offloaded from the bed of his pickup truck.

— joseph giovannini, New York Times, "In Three Famous Houses, Modern Living Unwinds," 28 June 2018
Side Kicks Get in the all-fours starting position described above for the table slides.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "A Quick Equipment-Free Butt Workout From Celebrity Trainer Erin Oprea," 27 June 2018
Tom Izzo has led Michigan State to seven final fours and has a good chance of reaching another this year, so there's really no argument against him having a wax statue.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "Tom Izzo Has a Wax Statue at the Breslin Center," 5 Jan. 2018
Several others downsized even further, picking 2.0L inline fours from the GM engine range, although Virginia Tech went in the other direction and picked a 5.3L small-block V8.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "These clever students have turned the Camaro into a hybrid sports car," 25 May 2018
The women won the junior varsity eight while the men took the third varsity eight race and the junior varsity fours.

— joe juliano, Philly.com, "Temple, with a little help, wins men's varsity eight race at Dad Vail Regatta," 12 May 2018
New for 2018 is a fold-flat passenger seat that along with the fold-flat rear seats creates an extended cargo area for longer items such as two-by-fours or hockey sticks that wouldn’t fit as easily in similarly sized vehicles.

— robert duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Auto review: 2018 GMC Terran Denali is not the champagne of compact crossovers," 16 May 2018
Pocket pie, cookie set and petite fours are among the treat offerings, while bottles, keychains, mugs and shirts are available.

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "Hello Kitty Cafe food-merchandise truck making 1 NE Ohio stop," 11 Apr. 2018
If this all-fours position feels uncomfortable on your knee, fold a mat a few times and place it underneath the standing knee for extra cushion.

— leah prinzivalli, SELF, "Why 'Riverdale' Star Madelaine Petsch's Butt Exercise Is a Great Go-to Move," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'four.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of four

Middle English, from four adjective, from Old English fēower; akin to Old High German fior four, Latin quattuor, Greek tessares, tettares

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Number-Related Terms

jubilee, myriad, quarantine, score, twain

FOUR Defined for English Language Learners

four

noun

Definition of four for English Language Learners

: the number 4
: the fourth in a set or series
: four o'clock

FOUR Defined for Kids

four

adjective \ ˈfȯr \

Definition of four for Students

: being one more than three

four

noun

Definition of four for Students

1 : one more than three : two times two : 4

2 : the fourth in a set or series

Headscratcher for four

Four is the only number whose name is spelled with the quantity of letters that matches its value.

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See words that rhyme with four Spanish Central: Translation of four Nglish: Translation of four for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of four for Arabic speakers

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Examples of four in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of four

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FOUR Defined for English Language Learners

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