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
Miami nicked right-hander McCade Brown for an RBI single in the third, then took the lead off the rookie with a pair of runs in the fourth.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
The Mets added two more runs in the second inning and one more in the fourth to win the game 8-3.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The Mets tied the game 1-1 on a Pete Alonso homer in the first inning and 2-2 on a Starling Marte home run in the fourth.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025
Using imagery, the lab was able to identify that about one-fourth of the locations have been expanded since Russia began its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, presumably to meet the influx.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fourth
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Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
The Mets added two more runs in the second inning and one more in the fourth to win the game 8-3.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The Mets tied the game 1-1 on a Pete Alonso homer in the first inning and 2-2 on a Starling Marte home run in the fourth.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025
Using imagery, the lab was able to identify that about one-fourth of the locations have been expanded since Russia began its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, presumably to meet the influx.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fourth
Cite this Entry
“Fourth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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