fourth

American  

[fawrth, fohrth] / fɔrθ, foʊrθ /

adjective

1. next after the third; being the ordinal number for four.

2. being one of four 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 third gear for a given engine crankshaft speed, but not so great as that of fifth gear, if such exists.

   fourth gear.

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noun

1. a fourth part, especially of one (¼).

2. the fourth member of a series.

3. Music.

   1. a tone on the fourth degree from a given tone (counted as the first).

   2. the interval between such tones.

   3. the harmonic combination of such tones.

4. Automotive. fourth gear.

   She downshifted from fifth to fourth as we started up the hill.

5. the Fourth. Independence Day; the Fourth of July.

adverb

1. in the fourth place; fourthly.

fourth British  

/ fɔːθ /

adjective

1. 1. coming after the third in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 4th

   2. ( as noun )

      the fourth in succession

2. denoting the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in motor vehicles

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noun

1. music

   1. the interval between one note and another four 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 interval diminished

2. the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in a motor vehicle

   he changed into fourth as soon as he had passed me

3. a less common word for quarter

adverb

1. after the third person, position, event, etc

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

Etymology

Origin of fourth

First recorded before 950; Middle English fourthe, Old English fēowertha; see four, -th ²

Example Sentences

On her fourth morning in the hospital, Waldorf was sitting on the toilet when she felt something heavy fall.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

The third and fourth time, he says, they were told the vaccine was unavailable.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Lennar, down 16% over the last year, rallied 8% last week and exhibits bullish RSI divergence with 24% upside by the fourth quarter.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

“Tens of millions flow into local news as public policy becomes journalism’s fourth leg,” says a headline in Editor & Publisher, a trade publication for the newspaper industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Whoever used the fourth of the huts had planted a row of tulips along the side.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• one-fourth
• part
• portion
• term