fourth dimension

noun

1
: a dimension in addition to length, breadth, and depth
specifically : a coordinate in addition to three rectangular coordinates especially when interpreted as the time coordinate in a space-time continuum
2
: something outside the range of ordinary experience
fourth-dimensional adjective

Examples of fourth dimension in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Greene offers up a garden hose as a good example of what the fourth dimension looks like. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 30 Jan. 2023 This doesn't mean that five connected neurons occupy some mysterious fourth dimension. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2017 Newton didn’t believe objects affected space, the American Museum of Natural History writes, but Einstein did, and had even distinguished a fourth dimension known as space-time in his 1905 special theory of relativity. USA TODAY, 31 May 2023 Many pairs of Seifert surfaces that are distinct from each other even if the knots are manipulated in three-dimensional space can be made equivalent if the knots are manipulated in a fourth dimension. Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 22 Dec. 2022 This engagement, which was not happening in galleries and museums, fostered the radical belief among the Transcendentalists that if artists were doing their job, viewers could access a portal to understanding nature, music and self — a fourth dimension on a two-dimensional surface. Kealey Boyd, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023 Gardens inherently occupy a fourth dimension. Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2021 Albert Einstein believed space and time made up a fourth dimension. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 30 Jan. 2023 An example from a string theorist gives a view of what a fourth dimension could be. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 30 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fourth dimension.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fourth dimension was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near fourth dimension

Cite this Entry

“Fourth dimension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth%20dimension. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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