plural fifths
ˈfiths 
ˈfif(t)ths,
ˈfif(t)s
1
: one that is number five in a series
Payment is due on the fifth of the month.
see Table of Numbers
2
: one of five equal parts of something
spent a fifth of their income on rent
3
a
: the musical interval embracing five diatonic degrees
b
: a tone at this interval
specifically
: dominant sense 1
c
: the harmonic combination of two tones at this interval
4
: a unit of measure for liquor equal to one fifth of a U.S. gallon (0.757 liter)
5
the Fifth
: the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
also
: the right accorded by the Fifth Amendment to refuse to testify against oneself see also plead the Fifth, take the Fifth
fifth
adjective or adverb
the fifth annual food festival
She finished fifth in the race.
fifthly
adverb
Fourthly, it takes a lot of concrete to make a nuclear power plant. Fifthly, there is no place to put the waste that is safe.
—
Victor Odlivak
Victor Odlivak
Examples of fifth in a Sentence
The bill is due on the fifth of each month.
She donated a fifth of her income to charity.
bought a fifth of whiskey
Recent Examples on the Web
The total ranked fifth in the NHL behind only the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning, all of whom have slightly larger arenas.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 May 2025
The fifth was disengaging into the secondary gap, the opposite direction.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 10 May 2025
And the government has also begun releasing more than a fifth of its emergency reserves of rice—a stockpiling policy that began in 1995—to meet demand, a move that Jentzsch says signals a rising concern around food security.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 May 2025
Almost a fifth of the Polish population, also nearly six million people, was lost.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fifth
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Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 May 2025
The fifth was disengaging into the secondary gap, the opposite direction.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 10 May 2025
And the government has also begun releasing more than a fifth of its emergency reserves of rice—a stockpiling policy that began in 1995—to meet demand, a move that Jentzsch says signals a rising concern around food security.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 May 2025
Almost a fifth of the Polish population, also nearly six million people, was lost.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fifth
Cite this Entry
“Fifth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fifth. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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