foursome

American  

[fawr-suhm] / ˈfɔr səm /

noun

• foursomes
  plural

1. a company or set of four; two couples; a quartet.

   to make up a foursome for bridge.

2. Golf.

   1. a match between two pairs of players, each of whom plays their own ball.

   2. Also called Scotch foursome.  a match between two pairs of players, in which each pair plays one ball and partners stroke alternately.

---

adjective

1. consisting of four persons, things, etc.; performed by or requiring four persons.

foursome British  

/ ˈfɔːsəm /

noun

1. a set or company of four

2. sport a game between two pairs of players, esp a form of golf in which each partner in a pair takes alternate strokes at the same ball Compare fourball greensome

3. (modifier) of or performed by a company of four

   a foursome competition

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• foursomes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of foursome

First recorded in 1540–50; four + -some ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foursome foursomes

“Spa Weekend” is built around the same fearsome foursome ethos as shows like “Sex and the City” and “Girls,” with several different character types and lots of available friction between them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

England is - of course - the largest nation in what Boris Johnson described as the "awesome foursome" of the UK.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

Florida Montverde Academy owns the national record of 3:31.68, achieved at the 2024 New Balance Nationals Outdoor in Philadelphia, but Wilson’s foursome was content with the state record, at least for now.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026

The foursome bonded over a frigid river plunge on a canyoneering excursion and munched on homemade “bliss balls,” a snack made from oats, honey and dates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025

Through the trees, Miranda saw an unlikely foursome being happy and alive and not at all careful.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Poly households who end up hiring lawyers are most often throuples or foursomes seeking to protect jointly held assets, parent children in common and ensure they can care for one another in life-or-death crises.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

This article was the tinder we needed in my Saturday group where we typically have three to four foursomes playing a team game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

Luke Donald's side shrugged off a hostile New York crowd at Bethpage Black to open up a record seven-point lead after two days, having dominated the foursomes and fourballs formats.

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025

Questions about U.S. tactics had surfaced from the outset, when Bradley put Collin Morikawa and Harris English together for the opening session of foursomes, where teammates alternate shots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2025

Why, singles and doubles–twosomes and foursomes you call them, don’t you?

From Betty Wales Freshman by Edith K. Dunton

Related Words

• club
• company
• lineup
• organization
• party
• side
• squad
• unit