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fourth

noun
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\ ˈfȯrth How to pronounce fourth (audio) \
plural fourths\ ˈfȯr(th)s How to pronounce fourths (audio) \

Definition of fourth

1 : one that is number four in a series — see Table of Numbers
2a : a musical interval (see interval sense 2a) 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 thewatched fireworks on the Fourth
Other Words from fourth More Example Sentences Learn More about fourth

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Other Words from fourth

fourth adjective or adverb
fourthly adverb

Examples of fourth in a Sentence

cut the cake into fourths She drank a fourth of the bottle.
Recent Examples on the Web Three-fourths of the deaths were people 65 years of age or older. — Alison Steinbach, azcentral, "Arizona coronavirus update: State passes 1K known deaths; 24,332 cases as of Friday," 5 June 2020 The House plans to vote this week on several bills, many of them under special rules allowing only an hour of debate and requiring a three-fourths approval vote for passage. — Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, "More than a quarter of Democrats plan remote voting this week," 27 May 2020 By early April, that number had grown to project as many as 5,516 deaths by May 16, a number that would have put Alabama fourth in the country for coronavirus deaths. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Coronavirus deaths in Alabama now projected to be 429 by May 16," 12 Apr. 2020 Marin County graded out first, San Francisco third, San Mateo fourth, Santa Clara sixth, Santa Cruz ninth and Alameda 10th. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "California’s healthiest counties, ranked," 1 Mar. 2020 Washington got the ball back and picked up one fourth-and-1 before facing another one at the Bears’ 16-yard line with 7:08 remaining. — Brad Biggs, chicagotribune.com, "Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Bears’ 31-15 win over the Redskins in Week 3," 24 Sep. 2019 For example, the health system in Wuhan, the city where three-fourths of China's victims died, was overwhelmed at the peak of the outbreak. — Barnini Chakraborty, Fox News, "China's low COVID-19 body count, secrecy adds to credibility concerns," 14 Apr. 2020 So in a field where three-fourths of the potential candidate pool is women, what’s holding women back from the top job? — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, "School superintendents are overwhelmingly male. What's holding women back from the top job?," 20 Feb. 2020 There are currently 19 Democrats and seven Republicans on Metro Council, so a three-fourths vote would likely require one Republican to support moving back to partisan elections. — Darcy Costello, The Courier-Journal, "Bill to make Louisville elections nonpartisan clears state committee in party-line vote," 11 Mar. 2020

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.

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First Known Use of fourth

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for fourth

see four

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Time Traveler for fourth

Time Traveler

The first known use of fourth was before the 12th century

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Statistics for fourth

Last Updated

11 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Fourth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth. Accessed 3 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for fourth

fourth

noun
How to pronounce fourth (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of fourth

: number four in a series
: one of four equal parts of something
: the fourth forward gear or speed of a car, truck, etc.

See the full definition for fourth in the English Language Learners Dictionary

fourth

adjective
\ ˈfȯrth How to pronounce fourth (audio) \

Kids Definition of fourth

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: coming right after third

fourth

noun

Kids Definition of fourth (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : number four in a series
2 : one of four equal parts

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More from Merriam-Webster on fourth

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with fourth

Spanish Central: Translation of fourth

Nglish: Translation of fourth for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of fourth for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fourth

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