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
Ohtani successfully navigated traffic to throw a scoreless fifth, but Xander Bogaerts tagged him for an RBI double in the sixth.
—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2026
Sweet and delicate, this design features a soft, milky blue on the upper fifth of each nail.
—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
3 July 2026
The most unbearable clash was between the Declaration’s principle of equality and the Constitution’s provisions on slavery—the three-fifths clause, the fugitive-slave clause, and the slave-trade clause.
—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
2 July 2026
Women still occupy fewer than one-fifth of songwriting credits on major charting songs, and production roles remain overwhelmingly male-dominated.
—
Desjah Altvater,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for fifth
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Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2026
Sweet and delicate, this design features a soft, milky blue on the upper fifth of each nail.
—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
3 July 2026
The most unbearable clash was between the Declaration’s principle of equality and the Constitution’s provisions on slavery—the three-fifths clause, the fugitive-slave clause, and the slave-trade clause.
—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
2 July 2026
Women still occupy fewer than one-fifth of songwriting credits on major charting songs, and production roles remain overwhelmingly male-dominated.
—
Desjah Altvater,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for fifth
Cite this Entry
“Fifth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fifth. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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