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

Revenue increased fourfold in the latest quarter, with Xanadu citing continued adoption of its popular software platform, PennyLane.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

The Toronto-based company posted $2.8 million in revenue, a fourfold increase from the $700,000 it reported last year.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

The number of customers with more than 50,000 seats rose fourfold, Nadella adds, and overall Copilot queries per user rose 20% sequentially.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

The network has grown fourfold from under 300km to more than 1,000km by 2025.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

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

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides