The fourth item in a series is the one that you count as number four.
He ended up just outside the medals in fourth place.
2. fraction
A fourth is one of four equal parts of something.
[US]
Three-fourths of the public say they favor a national referendum on the issue.
regional note: in BRIT, use quarter
fourth in British English
(fɔːθ)
adjective(usually prenominal)
1.
a.
coming after the third in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 4th
b.
(as noun)
the fourth in succession
2.
denoting the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in motor vehicles
noun
3. music
a.
the interval between one note and another four notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale
b.
one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other
See also perfect (sense 9), interval (sense 5), diminished (sense 2)
4.
the fourth forward ratio of a gearbox in a motor vehicle
he changed into fourth as soon as he had passed me
5. a less common word for quarter (sense 2)
adverb also: fourthly
6.
after the third person, position, event, etc
sentence connector also: fourthly
7.
as the fourth point: linking what follows with the previous statements, as in a speech or argument
fourth in American English
(fɔrθ; foʊrθ)
adjective
1.
preceded by three others in a series; 4th
2.
designating any of the four equal parts of something
3.
designating the forward gear ratio of a motor vehicle next after third gear
noun
4.
the one following the third
5.
any of the four equal parts of something; 1⁄4
6. Music
a.
the fourth tone of an ascending diatonic scale, or a tone three degrees above or below any given tone in such a scale; subdominant
b.
the interval between two such tones, or a combination of them
adverb
7.
in the fourth place, rank, group, etc.
Derived forms
fourthly (ˈfourthly)
adverb
Word origin
ME feorthe, ferthe < OE feortha: see four & -th2
Examples of 'fourth' in a sentence
fourth
That race worked out well with the third and fourth going in since.
The Sun (2016)
His new club squeezed into fourth place on the final day of last season.
The Sun (2017)
We were proud to be fourth last year and hope to be able to regain that status again soon.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The broker has pencilled in a 500 million charge in the fourth quarter.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
As big a waste of time as fourth officials have become, in fact.
The Sun (2016)
I am on the fourth one now.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Now the fourth series of the high-speed makeover show has arrived on our screens and the tiny residence is finished.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Yesterday was a decent 40 and then a long wait to see when they would get their bonus point fourth try.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I represent the fourth generation of the company and I want to grow it into an international operation.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The fourth generation of the family are taken on orchard tours.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He was fourth last year but struggles to stay this distance.
The Sun (2011)
We are not playing good but we are already fourth in the table.
The Sun (2014)
Who wants to finish fourth or fifth?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His previous close fourth was a cracking effort.
The Sun (2011)
The setting is the fourth floor larder.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
And it spared them from a fourth defeat in five games.
The Sun (2009)
Three fourth places and one ignominious sixth place two years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The third and fourth have both scored since.
The Sun (2010)
That would have been good enough for fourth place in the specialist hurdles final.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He has just become a father for the fourth time.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Preliminary data for the fourth quarter of the year will be published next month.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
All the political parties have failed fully to address such poverty in the fourth largest economy in the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We now have the third and fourth generation growing up since then for whom it is simply outside their world view.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The fourth point is that in our society, most of us have to learn to listen.
Christianity Today (2000)
I had two with my fourth cup of coffee.
The Sun (2013)
It was the fourth equal fastest time in history, but has there been a more glorious quartet to watch?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
TWO goals, three points and fourth place.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
What price trust of any sort, then, in the fourth century?
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
In other languages
fourth
British English: fourth /fɔːθ/ ADJECTIVE
The fourth item in a series is the one that you count as number four.
Last year's winner is in fourth place.
American English: fourth
Arabic: رَابِع
Brazilian Portuguese: quarto
Chinese: 第四
Croatian: četvrti
Czech: čtvrtý
Danish: fjerde
Dutch: vierde
European Spanish: cuarto
Finnish: neljäs
French: quatrième
German: vierter
Greek: τέταρτος
Italian: quarto
Japanese: 四番目の
Korean: 네 번째의
Norwegian: fjerde
Polish: czwarty
European Portuguese: quarto
Romanian: al patrulea
Russian: четвертый
Latin American Spanish: cuarto
Swedish: fjärde
Thai: อันดับที่สี่
Turkish: dördüncü
Ukrainian: четвертий
Vietnamese: thứ tư thứ tự
All related terms of 'fourth'
fourth form
the fourth year of study in a school
fourth-rate
of very low quality, value, or rank
fourth wall
an imaginary barrier between a television programme , film, or play and its audience
fourth-class
of or relating to mail that is carried at the lowest rate
fourth estate
journalists or their profession ; the press
fourth finger
the third finger , esp of the left hand, on which a wedding ring is traditionally worn
fourth grade
the fourth year of school, when children are nine or ten years old
fourth-grader
a child in the fourth grade
Fourth World
the poorest countries in the most undeveloped parts of the world in Africa , Asia , and Latin America
fourth official
In football , the fourth official is an official who assists the referee and assistant referees from the side of the pitch .
fourth position
a position in which the feet are at right angles to the direction of the body, the toes pointing out, with one foot forward and the other foot back
Fourth Republic
the fourth period of republican government in France or the republic itself (1945–58)
fourth dimension
In physics , the fourth dimension is time. The other three dimensions, which exist in space , are length , width , and height .
Fourth of July
In the United States , the Fourth of July is a public holiday when people celebrate the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Fourth International
any of several international Trotskyist organizations that have developed from the international federation of anti-Stalinist Communists founded by Trotsky in 1936
sixty-fourth note
a note having the time value of one sixty-fourth of a semibreve
the Fourth of July
a holiday in the United States, traditionally celebrated with fireworks : the day of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776
break the fourth wall
(esp of a character in a television programme , film, or play) to refer to, acknowledge , or address the audience , usually for comedic effect or as an avante-garde technique
third floor
the storey of a building immediately above the second and three floors up from the ground
hemidemisemiquaver
a note having the time value of one sixty-fourth of a semibreve