fourth

[ fawrth, fohrth ]

adjective

1. next after the third; being the ordinal number for four.
2. being one of four equal parts.
3. Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is greater than that of third gear for a given engine crankshaft speed, but not so great as that of fifth gear, if such exists:

   fourth gear.

noun

1. a fourth part, especially of one (¼).
2. the fourth member of a series.
3. Music.
   1. a tone on the fourth degree from a given tone (counted as the first).
   2. the interval between such tones.
   3. the harmonic combination of such tones.
4. Automotive. fourth gear:

   She downshifted from fifth to fourth as we started up the hill.

5. the Fourth. Independence Day; the Fourth of July.

adverb

1. in the fourth place; fourthly.

fourth

/ fɔːθ /

adjective

1. 1. coming after the third in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 4th
   2. ( as noun )

      the fourth in succession

2. denoting the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in motor vehicles

noun

1. music
   1. the interval between one note and another four notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale
   2. one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other See also perfect interval diminished
2. the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in a motor vehicle

   he changed into fourth as soon as he had passed me

3. a less common word for quarter

adverb

1. after the third person, position, event, etc

sentence connector

1. as the fourth point: linking what follows with the previous statements, as in a speech or argument

Word History and Origins

Origin of fourth¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English fourthe, Old English fēowertha; four, -th ²

Example Sentences

Robinson began making his own weather observations as a fourth-grader.

From Washington Post

Henne executed perhaps the most surprising play call of the postseason so far when he hit Tyreek Hill on fourth and inches at the 50 with a little more than a minute left in last weekend’s game.

From Washington Post

The site’s prediction model projects the Capitals to finish fourth in the East with 63 points and gives the team a 53 percent chance to make the playoffs.

From Washington Post

I want to be out there every fourth day instead of every fifth.

From Washington Post

He signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 and recently earned fourth NBA title of his career, including two with the Miami Heat.

From Washington Post

A fourth suspect, a 26-year-old woman named Hayat Boumeddiene, remains at large.

From The Daily Beast

But in more middle-class and working-class neighborhoods, sessions are typically a fourth of that price.

From The Daily Beast

He won re-election twice as governor of New York, and had the hubris to run for a fourth term before being defeated in 1994.

From The Daily Beast

He lost his bid for a fourth term to George Pataki that year.

From The Daily Beast

They constantly break the fourth wall, yelling and complaining to the cameramen.

From The Daily Beast

In treble, second and fourth, the first change is a dodge behind; and the second time the treble leads, there's a double Bob.

From Project Gutenberg

Persistent glycosuria has been noted in brain injuries involving the floor of the fourth ventricle.

From Project Gutenberg

Upon this he went to bed again, fell asleep, and dreamed a fourth time as before.

From Project Gutenberg

He was rather silent, they observed; but the young clergyman, who made the fourth at the table, was voluble by nature.

From Project Gutenberg

Ordinarily the diazo appears a little earlier than the Widal reaction—about the fourth or fifth day—but it may be delayed.

From Project Gutenberg