eighth

American  

[eytth, eyth] / eɪtθ, eɪθ /

adjective

1. next after the seventh.

2. being one of eight equal parts.

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noun

eighths plural

1. an eighth part, especially of one (⅛).

2. the eighth member of a series.

3. Music. octave.

adverb

1. in the eighth place; eighthly.

eighth British  

/ eɪtθ /

adjective

1. (usually prenominal)

   1. coming after the seventh and before the ninth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of eight: often written 8th

   2. ( as noun )

      the eighth in line

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noun

1. 1. one of eight equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      an eighth part

2. the fraction equal to one divided by eight ( 1/ 8 )

3. another word for octave

adverb

1. Also: eighthly.  after the seventh person, position, event, etc

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• eighths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eighth

before 1000; Middle English eightethe, Old English eahtotha; cognate with Old High German ahtoda, Old Norse āttandi, Gothic ahtud-. See eight, -th ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eighth eighths

Ellis’s classic 1998 book, “Winning the Loser’s Game: Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing,” now in its eighth edition, has sold more than 1 million copies.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Tuesday's meeting will be the eighth between the leaders since Trump's return to office last year, as well as their first in-person talks since the war began.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Used his fresher tyres to pass team-mate Arvid Lindblad late on and led Racing Bulls home in eighth.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Ms. Fujimori will be Peru’s eighth president in eight years and only the second during that time elected to the job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Only seven letter names are used to name notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The eighth note would, of course, be the next A, beginning the next octave.

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

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

But its rhythm is stiff: stolid 4/4 time, brass and piano playing even eighths with little variation.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2017

His times for the first, second and third eighths of a mile were 11.6, 22.1 and 36.6 seconds, respectively.

From Washington Post ● May 13, 2016

Carroll's dismal form for seven eighths of the season forms part of the reason why Kenny Dalglish has been fired.

From The Guardian ● May 16, 2012

Seabiscuit mowed his stablemate down with incredible speed, running the first eighth in 11 seconds, a quarter in 23, and three eighths in 36.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand