fourfold

American  

[fawr-fohld, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌfoʊld, ˈfoʊr- /

adjective

1. comprising four parts or members.

2. four times as great or as much.

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adverb

1. in fourfold measure.

fourfold British  

/ ˈfɔːˌfəʊld /

adjective

1. equal to or having four times as many or as much

2. composed of four parts

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adverb

1. by or up to four times as many or as much

Etymology

Origin of fourfold

before 1000; Middle English foure fald, Old English feowerfealdum. See four, -fold

Explanation

If your salary increases fourfold when you get a new job, it means that your income is four times larger than it used to be. Use the adjective fourfold when something is four times as big, or when it's been multiplied by four. You're almost always going to see fourfold accompanied by the word increase. For example, making class sizes smaller and school days longer might result in a fourfold increase in test scores. Or sticking to your pledge of not buying fancy coffee drinks could lead to a fourfold increase in available pocket change each week.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fourfold

Different planes of boron arsenide produced sixfold, eightfold, and fourfold focusing patterns.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Shares are up 6.7% to C$20.82, and are up nearly fourfold this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

That would be a fourfold increase in profit, compared with adjusted earnings of $2.28 a share on sales of $29.9 billion in the second quarter of 2025.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

It led to a fourfold increase in adult gannet deaths, resulting in a 26% decrease in the size of Bass Rock's colony and a 38% fall at Grassholm.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

He adopted the slang of the illegal trade, increasing his English vocabulary fourfold.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides