Synonyms

fifth

American

[fifth, fith] / fɪfθ, fɪθ /

adjective

next after the fourth; being the ordinal number for five.
being one of five equal parts.
Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is greater than that of fourth gear for a given engine crankshaft speed.

fifth gear.

adverb

in the fifth place; fifthly.

noun

a fifth part, especially of one (1/5).
the fifth member of a series.
a fifth part of a gallon of liquor or spirits; 4/5 (0.8) of a quart (about 750 milliliters).
Automotive. fifth gear.
Music.
1. a tone on the fifth degree from another tone (counted as the first).
2. the interval between such tones.
3. the harmonic combination of such tones.

idioms

plead the Fifth, to decline on the basis of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to answer a question when testifying. Also take the Fifth

fifth British

/ fɪfθ /

adjective

1. coming after the fourth in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 5th
2. ( as noun )
  
  he came on the fifth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. one of five equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a fifth part
the fraction equal to one divided by five ( 1/ 5 )
music
1. the interval between one note and another five notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale
2. one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other See also perfect diminished interval
an additional high gear fitted to some motor vehicles

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

Also: fifthly. after the fourth person, position, event, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Also: fifthly. as the fifth point: linking what follows with the previous statements, as in a speech or argument

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fifth More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing fifth

take the fifth

Etymology

Origin of fifth

First recorded before 1000; earlier fift, Middle English fifte, Old English fīfta; -th by analogy with fourth, etc.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He and his wife, Ellen, just welcomed their fifth child, and Dad life includes lots of shuttles to baseball and basketball practice.

From Los Angeles Times

A fifth of the world’s oil passes through the choke point of the Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's

That strait is effectively closed now, choking off a fifth of the world’s LNG supply.

From Barron's

Allegedly there was a fifth and final book coming, but the author had been publishing other novels for a few years now.

From Literature

I materialized in the back row of Ford’s Theatre for the fifth time this year just as the play, Our American Cousin, began.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023