fourth estate


noun(often initial capital letters)
  1. the journalistic profession or its members; the press.

  2. a group other than the usual powers, as the three estates of France, that wields influence in the politics of a country.

Origin of fourth estate

1
First recorded in 1830–40

Words Nearby fourth estate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fourth estate in a sentence

  • I won't say how we prevailed with the fourth estate, except that it wasn't by bribery.

    Foe-Farrell | Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for fourth estate

fourth estate

noun
  1. (sometimes capitals) journalists or their profession; the press: See estate (def. 4)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012