fourth

[ fawrth, fohrth ]

/ fɔrθ, foʊrθ /

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See synonyms for fourth on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

being one of four equal parts.

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.

noun

a fourth part, especially of one (¼).

the fourth member of a series.

Music.

a tone on the fourth degree from a given tone (counted as the first).
the interval between such tones.
the harmonic combination of such tones.

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

the Fourth. Independence Day; the Fourth of July.

adverb

in the fourth place; fourthly.

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Origin of fourth

First recorded before 950; Middle English fourthe, Old English fēowertha; see four, -th²

Words nearby fourth

fourteen, fourteener, Fourteen Points, fourteenth, Fourteenth Amendment, fourth, Fourth Amendment, fourth class, Fourth Commandment, fourth dimension, fourth estate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fourth in a sentence

Robinson began making his own weather observations as a fourth-grader.
As Earth warms, will snowstorms be a thing of the past?|Haben Kelati|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
Henne executed perhaps the most surprising play call of the postseason so far when he hit Tyreek Hill on fourth and inches at the 50 with a little more than a minute left in last weekend’s game.
Chad Henne is in the pantheon of NFL backup QB heroes, whether he gets another shot or not|Cindy Boren|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
The site’s prediction model projects the Capitals to finish fourth in the East with 63 points and gives the team a 53 percent chance to make the playoffs.
What you may have missed in the Caps’ offseason, and what experts predict for this season|Scott Allen|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
I want to be out there every fourth day instead of every fifth.
Reds’ Trevor Bauer, Indians’ Shane Bieber capture Cy Young awards|Jesse Dougherty|November 12, 2020|Washington Post

He signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 and recently earned fourth NBA title of his career, including two with the Miami Heat.
LeBron James seeking answers in death of sister of Cavaliers executive, a close friend|Des Bieler|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
A fourth suspect, a 26-year-old woman named Hayat Boumeddiene, remains at large.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But in more middle-class and working-class neighborhoods, sessions are typically a fourth of that price.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He won re-election twice as governor of New York, and had the hubris to run for a fourth term before being defeated in 1994.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82|Eleanor Clift|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He lost his bid for a fourth term to George Pataki that year.
President Cuomo Would’ve Been a Lion|Jonathan Alter|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They constantly break the fourth wall, yelling and complaining to the cameramen.
James Franco and Seth Rogen Get ‘Naked and Afraid’… And It’s Hilarious|Marlow Stern|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In treble, second and fourth, the first change is a dodge behind; and the second time the treble leads, there's a double Bob.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
Persistent glycosuria has been noted in brain injuries involving the floor of the fourth ventricle.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Upon this he went to bed again, fell asleep, and dreamed a fourth time as before.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
He was rather silent, they observed; but the young clergyman, who made the fourth at the table, was voluble by nature.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Ordinarily the diazo appears a little earlier than the Widal reaction—about the fourth or fifth day—but it may be delayed.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for fourth

fourth

/ (fɔːθ) /

adjective (usually prenominal)

coming after the third in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 4th
(as noun)the fourth in succession

denoting the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in motor vehicles

noun

music

the interval between one note and another four notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale
one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the otherSee also perfect (def. 9), interval (def. 5), diminished (def. 2)

the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in a motor vehiclehe changed into fourth as soon as he had passed me

a less common word for quarter (def. 2)

adverb Also: fourthly

after the third person, position, event, etc

sentence connector Also: fourthly

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fourth

Origin of fourth

Words nearby fourth

Words related to fourth

How to use fourth in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fourth