four

American  

[fawr, fohr] / fɔr, foʊr /

noun

1. a cardinal number, three plus one.

2. a symbol of this number, 4 or IV or IIII.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with four pips.

5. Jazz. fours, alternate four-bar passages, as played in sequence by different soloists.

   with guitar and piano trading fours.

6. Automotive.

   1. an automobile powered by a four-cylinder engine.

   2. the engine itself.

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adjective

1. amounting to four in number.

idioms

1. on all fours. all fours.

four British  

/ fɔː /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

2. a numeral, 4, IV, etc, representing this number

3. something representing, represented by, or consisting of four units, such as a playing card with four symbols on it

4. Also called: four o'clock.  four hours after noon or midnight

5. cricket

   1. a shot that crosses the boundary after hitting the ground

   2. the four runs scored for such a shot

6. rowing

   1. a racing shell propelled by four oarsmen pulling one oar each, with or without a cox

   2. the crew of such a shell

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to four

      four thousand eggs

      four times

   2. ( as pronoun )

      four are ready

four More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing four

• between you and me and (the four walls)
• on all fours

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Etymology

Origin of four

before 1000; Middle English four, fower, Old English fēower; cognate with Old High German fior ( German vier ), Gothic fidwor; akin to Latin quattuor, Greek tésseres ( Attic téttares )

Example Sentences

He scored in all four of the top divisions in English football before settling at Brentford in 2020.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Nearly one in four adults over 40 lives with painful osteoarthritis, a condition that can make everyday movement difficult and is one of the major causes of adult disability.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

He will visit four Indian cities, beginning in Kolkata, home to one of the oldest US diplomatic posts -- which got its first consul in 1792, just 16 years after Washington's independence.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

I drank out of it during every remote interview for this job four years ago and consider it good luck!

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The sun’s frail light no longer broke the canopy, and in the deepening shadows, the faint glow of the four realms was beginning to appear.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman