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
Brooklyn got within nine later in the second and third quarters before Washington stretched its lead to 23 by the end of the third and 28 early in the fourth.
—CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
Coulibaly scored a first-half hat-trick and added a fourth in the 69th minute.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Washington shot 50% in the period, fueled by a perfect 4-for-4 stint from Champagnie, and outscored Brooklyn 32-23 to carry a 23-point lead into the fourth.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
The Heat then string together a 15-0 run early in the third period and went up 22 in the quarter, before taking a 94-81 lead into the fourth.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fourth
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CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
Coulibaly scored a first-half hat-trick and added a fourth in the 69th minute.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Washington shot 50% in the period, fueled by a perfect 4-for-4 stint from Champagnie, and outscored Brooklyn 32-23 to carry a 23-point lead into the fourth.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
The Heat then string together a 15-0 run early in the third period and went up 22 in the quarter, before taking a 94-81 lead into the fourth.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fourth
Cite this Entry
“Fourth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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