fifth

[ fifth or, often, fith ]
See synonyms for fifth on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. next after the fourth; being the ordinal number for five.

  2. being one of five equal parts.

  1. Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is greater than that of fourth gear for a given engine crankshaft speed: fifth gear.

adverb
  1. in the fifth place; fifthly.

noun
  1. a fifth part, especially of one (1/5).

  2. the fifth member of a series.

  1. a fifth part of a gallon of liquor or spirits; 4/5 (0.8) of a quart (about 750 milliliters).

  2. Automotive. fifth gear.

  3. Music.

    • a tone on the fifth degree from another tone (counted as the first).

    • the interval between such tones.

    • the harmonic combination of such tones.

Idioms about fifth

  1. plead the Fifth, Law Informal. to decline on the basis of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to answer a question when testifying.: Also take the Fifth .

Origin of fifth

1
First recorded before 1000; earlier fift, Middle English fifte, Old English fīfta; -th by analogy with fourth, etc.

Words Nearby fifth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fifth in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fifth

fifth

/ (fɪfθ) /


adjective(usually prenominal)
    • coming after the fourth in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 5th

    • (as noun): he came on the fifth

noun
    • one of five equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc

    • (as modifier): a fifth part

  1. the fraction equal to one divided by five (1/5)

  1. music

  2. an additional high gear fitted to some motor vehicles

adverb
  1. Also: fifthly after the fourth person, position, event, etc

sentence connector
  1. Also: fifthly as the fifth point: linking what follows with the previous statements, as in a speech or argument

Origin of fifth

1
Old English fīfta

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with fifth

fifth

In addition to the idioms beginning with fifth

  • fifth column
  • fifth wheel

also see:

  • take the fifth

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.