4G

American

abbreviation

Telecommunications, Digital Technology.

fourth-generation: being or relating to communications technology or a mobile device that supports much faster data-transfer speeds than previous versions.

4G smartphones.

4G British

abbreviation

fourth generation: a stage in mobile phone technology when data can be provided more quickly and on broader bandwidths than previously

"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

Etymology

Origin of 4G

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The player believes the fact he sustained the cut on a 4G pitch might have been a factor.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

The non-league side with a collection of PE teachers, podcasters and property developers in their squad shaking up elite opposition, with the added factor of Moss Rose's 4G artificial surface.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

McClelland said the 4G and 5G networks "have had a shot in the arm" to make the 3G network switch-off work.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

It said the symbol indicates a user is in a 5G-enabled area, and that networks "dynamically and seamlessly steer customers to the best connection, whether 4G or 5G, based on real-time factors like signal strength".

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

Figure 4G is about fifty-five sections caudad to the preceding figure, and passes through the middle region of the heart, ht.

From Development of the Digestive Canal of the American Alligator by Reese, C. M.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023