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
Bubba Wallace still runs third, Kyle Larson fourth and William Byron fifth.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 7 Apr. 2024
Almost a fifth of US fans say that live women’s sports aren’t easily accessible at home, according to Nielsen.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
At their peak, only about two fifths of American workers actually had a pension.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Alex Bowman is fourth, Tyler Reddick fifth, Ross Chastain sixth and AJ Allmendinger seventh.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2024
Seeded fifth in the East Region, the Aztecs took it rock by rock vs. Alabama-Birmingham, getting huge efforts — offensively from Jaedon LeDee, and defensively from Lamont Butler — on the way to a 69-65 win.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
Though only a fifth of them lived, the ones that survived have flourished.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024
Unlike them, a sizable proportion of the California electorate was made up of fewer White voters (about a fifth of the electorate was Latino), but Trump won handily among both White and non-White voters alike.
—Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024
About a fifth of homes in the Navajo Nation — located in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah — do not have access to electricity, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates.
—Sophie Austin, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024
Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 7 Apr. 2024
Almost a fifth of US fans say that live women’s sports aren’t easily accessible at home, according to Nielsen.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
At their peak, only about two fifths of American workers actually had a pension.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Alex Bowman is fourth, Tyler Reddick fifth, Ross Chastain sixth and AJ Allmendinger seventh.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2024
Seeded fifth in the East Region, the Aztecs took it rock by rock vs. Alabama-Birmingham, getting huge efforts — offensively from Jaedon LeDee, and defensively from Lamont Butler — on the way to a 69-65 win.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
Though only a fifth of them lived, the ones that survived have flourished.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024
Unlike them, a sizable proportion of the California electorate was made up of fewer White voters (about a fifth of the electorate was Latino), but Trump won handily among both White and non-White voters alike.
—Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024
About a fifth of homes in the Navajo Nation — located in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah — do not have access to electricity, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates.
—Sophie Austin, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fifth.' 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
“Fifth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fifth. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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