four

play

noun \ ˈfȯr \

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

—

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

Beast Crawl Start on all fours with hips stacked over knees, shoulders stacked over wrists.

— emily abbate, Esquire, "How to Squeeze in a Full-Body Workout in Just 10 Minutes," 27 June 2017
Beast Crawl Start on all fours with hips stacked over knees, shoulders stacked over wrists.

— emily abbate, Esquire, "How to Squeeze in a Full-Body Workout in Just 10 Minutes," 27 June 2017
Begin on all fours with your knees hips-width apart and your wrists stacked over your shoulders.

— elizabeth narins, Cosmopolitan, "9 Butt Moves That Beat Squats," 20 June 2017
MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: Peter King on Randy Moss, equality and commencement speeches * * * FOUR DOWNS 1.

— albert breer, The MMQB, "— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7)," 16 June 2017
The team then made it to three straight final fours from 2011 to 2013 before winning the championship again in 2014.

— brent kennedy, Howard County Times, "University of Maryland women's lacrosse capitalizing on Howard County pipeline," 16 June 2017
That leaves the 3 and 4 spots, where the Kings could use a floor-spacer with the length, if not the strength, to check both stretch fours and wings.

— thomas oide, sacbee.com, "Kings mock drafts: De’Aaron Fox or Jayson Tatum for Sacramento at No. 5?," 15 June 2017
Experiments to turn Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. into stretch-fours have mostly come up short.

— adi joseph, USA TODAY, "Lakers have 5 draft options, and Ball is best," 14 June 2017
The Rickmobile is a sight to behold in itself, depicting a cartoonish, extravagant version of the show’s complex protagonist Rick Sanchez on all fours, wrapped around a van.

— lindsey bartlett, The Know, "Where to find Adult Swim’s “Rick and Morty” car when it rolls through Denver tonight," 5 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

Other Number-Related Terms

jubilee, myriad, quarantine, score, twain

FOUR Defined for English Language Learners

four

play

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

play

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.

Learn More about four

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up four? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

four

Definition of four

four

four

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of four in a Sentence

Recent Examples of four from the Web

Origin and Etymology of four

Other Number-Related Terms

Phrases Related to FOUR

Related Phrases

FOUR Defined for English Language Learners

four

Definition of four for English Language Learners

FOUR Defined for Kids

four

Definition of four for Students

four

Definition of four for Students

Headscratcher for four

Learn More about four

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066