fourth estate
noun
often capitalized F&E
: the public press
Did you know?
It might be news to you that the term fourth estate has been around for centuries. In Europe, going back to medieval times, the people who participated in the political life of a country were generally divided into three classes or estates. In England they were the three groups with representation in Parliament, namely, the nobility, the clergy, and the common people. Some other group, like the mob or the public press, that had an unofficial but often great influence on public affairs, was called the fourth estate. In the 19th century, fourth estate came to refer exclusively to the press, and now it's applied to all branches of the news media.
Example Sentences
a member of the Fourth Estate
Recent Examples on the Web The directors’ decision to focus on the fourth estate in democracies as opposed to autocracies was a deliberate choice. 
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 8 June 2022 Also getting the golden ticket are several members of the fourth estate. Brent Lang, Variety, 11 June 2022 The results were groundbreaking, and unfortunately, as punishment for the fourth estate's transgressions, the quarter-ton segment would eventually be vanquished from the U.S. forever. Nicholas Wallace, Car and Driver, 11 Feb. 2022 When the founders of America wrote the Constitution, the fourth estate was journalism. Antonio Ferme, Variety, 6 Dec. 2021 Anderson is devoted to mythologizing the fourth estate. Armond White, National Review, 5 Nov. 2021 American civic education hasn’t emphasized the vital role of journalism as the fourth estate, as important to the good society as the separation of powers or checks and balances in the federal government. Anthony Hennen, National Review, 26 Oct. 2021 To the Biden cheerleaders known as the fourth estate, the Democratic nominee boasts a legal team that would put Clarence Darrow, Thurgood Marshall and Cicero to shame. Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 29 Oct. 2020 As election day nears, he's redoubled his efforts bashing the fourth estate, research by Sugars has shown. Eliza Mackintosh, CNN, 25 Oct. 2020 See More
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 8 June 2022 Also getting the golden ticket are several members of the fourth estate. Brent Lang, Variety, 11 June 2022 The results were groundbreaking, and unfortunately, as punishment for the fourth estate's transgressions, the quarter-ton segment would eventually be vanquished from the U.S. forever. Nicholas Wallace, Car and Driver, 11 Feb. 2022 When the founders of America wrote the Constitution, the fourth estate was journalism. Antonio Ferme, Variety, 6 Dec. 2021 Anderson is devoted to mythologizing the fourth estate. Armond White, National Review, 5 Nov. 2021 American civic education hasn’t emphasized the vital role of journalism as the fourth estate, as important to the good society as the separation of powers or checks and balances in the federal government. Anthony Hennen, National Review, 26 Oct. 2021 To the Biden cheerleaders known as the fourth estate, the Democratic nominee boasts a legal team that would put Clarence Darrow, Thurgood Marshall and Cicero to shame. Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 29 Oct. 2020 As election day nears, he's redoubled his efforts bashing the fourth estate, research by Sugars has shown. Eliza Mackintosh, CNN, 25 Oct. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
1837, in the meaning defined above