What does "fourth" mean?
The person or thing in the fourth position.
Fourth
/fɔːθ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The person or thing in the fourth position.
- Grammar: fourth is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: one-quarter, quarter, 4th, as the fourth point.
- Useful contrasts: complete, entire, first.
- Usage evidence: The fourth period was moved up to the third.
How to use "fourth"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fourth" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fourth" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fourth" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fourth" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fourth" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "one-quarter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fourth", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The person or thing in the fourth position. singular
"We are one F and two M's seeking the company of a fourth (M or F) for our spacious and friendly Somerville apt."
- 2 the musical interval between one note and another four notes away from it wordnet
- 3 A quarter, one of four equal parts of a whole. US
- 4 one of four equal parts wordnet
- 5 The fourth gear of an engine. singular
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 following the third position; number four in a countable series wordnet
- 7 A musical interval which spans four degrees of the diatonic scale, for example C to F (C D E F).
"Now I've heard there was a secret chord / That David played, and it pleased the Lord / But you don't really care for music, do ya? / It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth"
- 8 One sixtieth of a third or tierce. rare
"[…] thirds (sixtieths of seconds), fourths (sixtieths of thirds) and so on, but then it becomes very cumbersome."
Verb
- 1 To agree with a proposition or statement after it has already been thirded. informal
"If he remembered rightly what took place in the House on the first night of the session, the Attorney General would have to file an information, not only against the noble Lord who proposed the address, and the hon. Member for London who seconded it, but also against the hon. Member who thirded, and the noble Lord who fourthed it, and indeed against every Member in the House."
Adjective
- 1 The ordinal form of the number four. not-comparable
"The fourth model is called the enlightment model: Actors are seen to be responsible for problems but unable or unwilling to provide solutions. They are believed to need discipline provided by authoritative guidance. The Alcoholic Anonymous^([sic]) groups are considered prototypical for this model."
Adjective
- 1 coming next after the third and just before the fifth in position or time or degree or magnitude wordnet
Adverb
- 1 in the fourth place wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The Fourth of July. US
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The fourth period was moved up to the third."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fourth"?
Common synonyms include: one-quarter, quarter, 4th, as the fourth point, consecutive intervals, degree.
How do you use "fourth" in a sentence?
The fourth period was moved up to the third.
How do you pronounce "fourth"?
Pronounced /fɔːθ/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English fourthe, an alteration (due to four) of ferthe, from Old English fēorþa, fēowerþa, from Proto-West Germanic *feurþō, from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô, equivalent to four + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognates Compare West Frisian fjirde, Saterland Frisian fjädde, fjoode, Dutch vierde, German Low German feerde, feerd, German vierte, Danish fjerde, Icelandic fjórði.