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.

See Examples For:

Ofcom's threshold of "good performance" was far lower than average 4G speeds - but mobile networks still failed to achieve them most of the time.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

Also, with anchor customer Vodafone Idea possibly raising funds to expand 4G capacity and roll out 4G and 5G networks, this would add new tenancies to Indus Towers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 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

It found that while phones often display the 5G logo, the data being transmitted is still carried by older 4G infrastructure.

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 C. M. Reese

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