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
Doncic finished with seven points in the fourth, also delivering the game-sealing alley oop to Daniel Gafford for an and-1 to put Dallas up nine with 34 seconds to play.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 May 2024
Ross Stripling, placed on the injured list before Saturday’s game, retired the first nine batters but allowed six runs on eight hits in the fourth, pulled from the game before completing the frame.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 26 May 2024
The Pilots scored twice in the third inning off USD starting pitcher Josh Randall (4-2) for a 2-1 lead, but the Toreros offense restored order with a four-run fourth for a 5-2 advantage.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2024
As if his medical reasoning outweighed her personal reasoning, her desire to give Claude another kid, her faith that God had carried her through three pregnancies and could carry her through a fourth.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for fourth 
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 May 2024
Ross Stripling, placed on the injured list before Saturday’s game, retired the first nine batters but allowed six runs on eight hits in the fourth, pulled from the game before completing the frame.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 26 May 2024
The Pilots scored twice in the third inning off USD starting pitcher Josh Randall (4-2) for a 2-1 lead, but the Toreros offense restored order with a four-run fourth for a 5-2 advantage.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2024
As if his medical reasoning outweighed her personal reasoning, her desire to give Claude another kid, her faith that God had carried her through three pregnancies and could carry her through a fourth.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for fourth
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fourth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fourth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
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