fourth

noun

\ˈfȯrth

plural fourths\ˈfȯr(th)s

Definition of fourth

1 : one that is number four in a series — see Table of Numbers

2a : a musical interval (see interval sense 2b) embracing four tones of the diatonic scale

b : a tone at this interval specifically : subdominant sense 1

c : the harmonic combination of two tones a fourth apart

3 : the fourth forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle shifted into fourth

4 capitalized : independence day —used with the watched fireworks on the Fourth

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Examples of fourth in a Sentence

cut the cake into fourths She drank a fourth of the bottle.

Recent Examples on the Web

The tax increases were the first in Oklahoma in more than two decades since voters approved a constitutional requirement that any tax increase receive a three-fourth’s vote of the Legislature or be approved by a vote of the people. — Sean Murphy, The Seattle Times, "Group drops effort to repeal tax hikes for Oklahoma teachers," 2 July 2018 Far from exhibiting a sense of carefree detachment, three-fourths reported feeling grief, remorse and sadness. — New York Times, "The Wounds of the Drone Warrior," 13 June 2018 The share of college whites who said government should do more to solve problems rose even more precipitously from about two-fifths in rural places, to just over half in suburbia, to nearly three-fourths in urban centers. — Ronald Brownstein, CNN, "Republicans and Democrats increasingly really do occupy different worlds," 12 June 2018 Medicare buy-ins poll the highest, with the support of three-fourths of Americans, including 6 out of 10 Republicans. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "The “pleasant ambiguity” of Medicare-for-all in 2018, explained," 2 July 2018 Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis has raised nearly one fourth of all his contributions from five individual millionaires, the records show. — Mary Ellen Klas And Emily Mahoney, miamiherald, "Ukrainian oligarch, generous dads and billionaires write big checks in governor's race," 21 June 2018 Most of the funding - as much as three-fourths of the total sticker price - will come from the Superdome and the Saints. — Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, "Landing 2024 Super Bowl is first step in a series of big ones for New Orleans sports," 26 May 2018 Any change would require an amendment to the Constitution, which would require a two-thirds super-majority vote in both chambers, then ratification from three-fourths of the states. — Joseph Weber, Fox News, "Trump backs bipartisan House push for congressional term limits," 7 May 2018 Top each pile of beans with one fourth of the marinated farro. — San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: Il Forno’s Green Bean Salad," 18 Apr. 2018

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