plural fourths
ˈfȯr(th)s 
1
: one that is number four in a series
I was the fourth to arrive.
They arrive on the fourth. [=the fourth day of the month]
see Table of Numbers
2
: one of four equal parts of something : quarter entry 1
Cut the cake into fourths.
a fourth of the population
3
a
: a musical interval (see interval sense 2) embracing four tones of the diatonic scale
b
: a tone at this interval
specifically
: subdominant sense 1
c
: the harmonic combination of two tones a fourth apart
4
: the fourth forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle
shifted into fourth
5
the Fourth
: July 4 observed as a legal holiday in the U.S. in commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 : Fourth of July
watched fireworks on the Fourth
called also Independence Day
fourth
adjective or adverb
the fourth edition of a book
the fourth tallest mountain
fourthly
adverb
Fourthly, don't sing a whole opera through …
—
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Examples of fourth in a Sentence
cut the cake into fourths
She drank a fourth of the bottle.
Recent Examples on the Web
But again, Manchester made big plays in the last few seconds to boost its lead – Sheets had a basket, then Oden-Tann stole the inbounds pass and hit a layup (and was fouled but missed the free throw) to give Manchester a 46-35 lead and big momentum heading into the fourth.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
New York went up by 28 in the third quarter and 35 in the fourth.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
Jones had scored only two points before the final frame but rattled off 13 points while missing only one shot for one-third of the team’s 36 points in the fourth.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025
In the fourth, a mid-range jumper for Andrews cut the deficit to 32-31 before Meda and the man-to-man defense took over to keep the Skippers field goal-less in the final frame during a 16-3 run for the Canalmen.
—Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fourth
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
New York went up by 28 in the third quarter and 35 in the fourth.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
Jones had scored only two points before the final frame but rattled off 13 points while missing only one shot for one-third of the team’s 36 points in the fourth.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025
In the fourth, a mid-range jumper for Andrews cut the deficit to 32-31 before Meda and the man-to-man defense took over to keep the Skippers field goal-less in the final frame during a 16-3 run for the Canalmen.
—Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fourth
Articles Related to fourth
Cite this Entry
“Fourth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share