four

American  

[fawr, fohr] / fɔr, foʊr /

noun

• fours
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fours
  plural

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

See Examples For:

four fours

That lack of ruthlessness has meant Arsenal have failed to win in their past four WSL games - their worst winless streak since October 2023.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The duo oversaw the studio for the last four years, providing a mixed bag of hits and misses for the Burbank-based studio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

An airline customer-service employee who has run for state office as a Democrat, Santiago, 46, said she has cut back on going out to eat, extracurricular activities for her four children and entertainment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Give it a listen; it sounds like it was written by committee and by four bored teens in equal measure.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Two cots, a hay-filled mattress, a stove, a table, and four chairs.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

The 20-year-old South African's knock off 79 deliveries, including 13 sixes and 15 fours, helped Titans post 267-3 against Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The fearless teenager, who topped the IPL batting charts this year, smoked a whirlwind 38 off 21 balls with six fours and two enormous sixes before falling to a thick edge caught at backward point.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Over those two decades, Americans became accustomed to rates in the threes and fours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Much as Higgins revived Middlesex, Kelly breathed new life into the Leicestershire chase with his defiant knock, which featured 10 fours and three sixes.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Noticing the twin’s fearful faces, Cecilia slid the tray of petit fours toward them.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall