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

• fourths
  plural

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fourths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fourth

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fourth fourths

Calculated using a system of four points for a first place, three points for second, two points for third and one point for fourth.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

A fourth member of the family, a younger girl, remains in hospital in a critical condition.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

“Demand continued to strengthen across our product portfolio and regions throughout the third quarter, which is reflected in our record fourth quarter outlook,” said Chief Financial Officer Richard Puccio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

It was the fourth course served in business class on an Alaska Airlines flight from Rome to Seattle and we were only two hours into a 10-hour flight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

A fourth man got out of the car and began an angry conversation with the others.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

The Jack Berrys, the Bob Pauls, the Hunt brothers, the Lykes brothers, all of them with juniors or thirds or fourths.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

About three fourths were women, 70% were white, and the average age at the start was 74.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026

At meets, Mara racked up prize ribbons: lots of third-places, fourths, fifths, and sixths, the occasional second, the very rare first.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2024

Trip jacket selection is an art and a science, best done elegantly, with attention paid to form, function, aesthetics and viability — as a pillow when folded into fourths or eighths on a long-haul flight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2024

In particular, perfect fourths and fifths and major thirds are not too far from the pure intervals.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• one-fourth
• part
• portion
• term