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Meaning & use

fourth

noun, number·Everyday

Last updated

UK/fɔːθ/
US/fɔːrθ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableAmerican

    One of four equal parts that together make a whole; a quarter.

    Grammar: Used in fractions: one fourth, three fourths.

    Patterns

    • a fourth of something
    • three fourths of something

    She ate a fourth of the pizza and saved the rest.

    About three fourths of the students passed the quiz.

    The recipe needs one fourth cup of sugar.

  2. numberbefore a noun

    Coming after the third thing and before the fifth in an order or series.

    Grammar: Normally used with the: the fourth day, the fourth floor.

    Patterns

    • the fourth something
    • fourth in line
    • fourth place

    Our office is on the fourth floor.

    He finished fourth in the regional race, just missing a medal.

    This is the fourth time the bus has been late this week.

  3. nounsingularAmericaninformal

    The Fourth of July, the American national holiday celebrating independence, often shortened to the Fourth.

    Grammar: Always with the and a capital letter: see you on the Fourth.

    Patterns

    • on the Fourth
    • the Fourth of July

    We always barbecue in the backyard on the Fourth.

    The town's fireworks on the Fourth draw huge crowds.

    Are you traveling over the Fourth this year?

  4. nouncountablemusic

    A musical interval spanning four notes of a scale, such as from C up to F.

    Grammar: Often a perfect fourth: the interval is a fourth.

    Patterns

    • a perfect fourth
    • a fourth apart

    The song begins with a rising perfect fourth.

    The two voices sing a fourth apart.

    Tuners check that each string is a fourth above the last.

Word forms

pluralfourths

Common combinations

one fourth
One fourth of the class walks to school.
the fourth floor
The elevator stopped on the fourth floor.
fourth quarter
The team scored twice in the fourth quarter.
finish fourth
Our school finished fourth in the science contest.
the Fourth of July
The parade takes place on the Fourth of July.

Synonyms and how they differ

quarter
Quarter is the more common word for one of four equal parts and is standard in British English, where fourth sounds more mathematical.
fourthly
Fourthly is an adverb used to introduce a fourth point in a list, whereas fourth names the position or part itself.

Word family

four number
the number after three
fourthly adverb
in the fourth place, used to list points
fourteenth number
the ordinal number after thirteenth
forty number
four tens, spelled without an u

Commonly confused: fourth or forth?

fourth vs forth

Forth means forward or onward, as in back and forth, and is not the ordinal number; fourth keeps the u from four.

Practice

Which sentence spells the ordinal number correctly?

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