Fourth
/fɔːrθ/
Definitions
3 meaningsComing after the third and before the fifth in a series; being the ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number four.
/fɔːrθ/
Being number four in a series
The fourth chapter of the book was the most exciting.
💡 Simply: Imagine a race. If you're in fourth place, you were almost on the podium, but not quite! You're the next one in line after three others.
👶 For kids: Being after three things and before five things in a line.
More Examples
He was the fourth person to arrive.
We need to eat the fourth pizza.
How It's Used
"She finished in fourth place."
"The fourth power of 2 is 16 (2*2*2*2)."
The person or thing in the fourth position; a fourth part of a whole.
/fɔːrθ/
The person or thing in the fourth position.
The fourth of the applicants was the most qualified.
💡 Simply: Like when you're standing in a line and you're the fourth person. Or the fourth slice of a pizza!
👶 For kids: The thing that is in the number four spot.
More Examples
The restaurant was offering a fourth free meal.
She reached fourth in the race.
How It's Used
"The team's fourth was significantly faster."
"The fourth of the string quartet was a haunting melody."
An interval in music comprising four diatonic degrees.
/fɔːrθ/
The interval of four notes in music
The choir sang the fourth with perfect pitch.
💡 Simply: In music, a 'fourth' is the space or jump between notes on a scale. Imagine playing piano; the fourth sounds like 'C-F' or 'G-C' on the keyboard.
👶 For kids: A type of musical jump between notes, like on a piano.
More Examples
The composer explored a series of fourths in his latest work.
The interval of the fourth is essential to build a harmony.
How It's Used
"The composer employed the use of a fourth to create tension."
Idioms & expressions
fourth estate
The press or journalism, regarded as a power in society along with the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
"The fourth estate plays a vital role in informing the public."
From Old English fēorða ('fourth'), a development from the numeral 'four', and related to Proto-Germanic *fezurþō. It indicates the position in a sequence.
The word 'fourth' has been used for centuries to denote the numerical position. The term 'fourth estate' gained prominence in the 18th century, and referred to the press.
Memory tip
Think of the four parts of a circle - the fourth could be completing it!