fifth

American  

[fifth, fith] / fɪfθ, fɪθ /

adjective

1. next after the fourth; being the ordinal number for five.

2. being one of five equal parts.

3. Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is greater than that of fourth gear for a given engine crankshaft speed.

   fifth gear.

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adverb

1. in the fifth place; fifthly.

noun

fifths plural

1. a fifth part, especially of one (1/5).

2. the fifth member of a series.

3. a fifth part of a gallon of liquor or spirits; 4/5 (0.8) of a quart (about 750 milliliters).

4. Automotive. fifth gear.

5. Music.

   1. a tone on the fifth degree from another tone (counted as the first).

   2. the interval between such tones.

   3. the harmonic combination of such tones.

idioms

1. plead the Fifth, to decline on the basis of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to answer a question when testifying. Also take the Fifth

fifth British  

/ fɪfθ /

adjective

1. 1. coming after the fourth in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 5th

   2. ( as noun )

      he came on the fifth

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noun

1. 1. one of five equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a fifth part

2. the fraction equal to one divided by five ( 1/ 5 )

3. music

   1. the interval between one note and another five notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale

   2. one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other See also perfect diminished interval

4. an additional high gear fitted to some motor vehicles

adverb

1. Also: fifthly.  after the fourth person, position, event, etc

1. Also: fifthly.  as the fifth point: linking what follows with the previous statements, as in a speech or argument

fifth More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fifth

• take the fifth

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fifths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fifth

First recorded before 1000; earlier fift, Middle English fifte, Old English fīfta; -th by analogy with fourth, etc.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fifth fifths

That put it on track for a fifth straight gain, after it closed at a nearly four-month low on July 21.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

After almost a month of weighing his options, LeBron James announced on X that he will sign with the Philadelphia 76ers to play in his record 24th NBA season and pursue a fifth title.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Reports said Oman and Iran were trying to reach an agreement to restart shipping through Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and LNG usually pass.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The fifth victim was treated for minor injuries, the Fire Department said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

“I say goodbye to my BFF on the last day of fifth grade and then she ghosts me for an entire year—what was I supposed to think?”

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

O'Shea said: "If you've got a situation where the Exchequer takes four fifths of what you're making, I'm not sure there's much more room for manoeuvre."

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

At meets, Mara racked up prize ribbons: lots of third-places, fourths, fifths, and sixths, the occasional second, the very rare first.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2024

Caucus members account for three fifths of the lower house and half of the senate seats.

From Reuters ● Sep. 27, 2023

The song has easy rhythms, said Glass, but it’s more challenging to sing because of the wider vocal range and the way the melody line leaps by fifths and octaves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2023

In particular, perfect fourths and fifths and major thirds are not too far from the pure intervals.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones