fifth

noun

ˈfith

ˈfif(t)th,

ˈfift

plural fifths ˈfiths

ˈfif(t)ths,

ˈfif(t)s

: one that is number five in a series see Table of Numbers

: the musical interval embracing five diatonic degrees

: a tone at this interval

specifically : dominant sense 1

: the harmonic combination of two tones at this interval

: a unit of measure for liquor equal to one fifth of a U.S. gallon (0.757 liter)

capitalized : the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

also : the right accorded by the Fifth Amendment to refuse to testify against oneself

—usually used in the phrase take the Fifth

fifth adjective or adverb

fifthly adverb

Example Sentences

The bill is due on the fifth of each month. She donated a fifth of her income to charity. bought a fifth of whiskey

Recent Examples on the Web That money now accounts for around a fifth of government income, roughly half of its foreign investment and nearly a 10th of gross domestic product.

Max Bearak Federico Rios, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2022 France, with the most nuclear capacity in Western Europe, is moving to reinvigorate its industry—a fifth of its 56 reactors are currently offline.

Christopher Helman, Forbes, 27 May 2022 Our brains are major energy hogs, consuming around a fifth of our calorie intake despite accounting for just a fiftieth of our body weight on average.

James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2022 Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine after sending its armed forces into its neighbor’s territory from several directions in February.

Reuters, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2022 That does not mean the war will end soon, the ISW wrote—Russia still occupies around a fifth of Ukraine’s territory— and is likely to continue into 2023, experts said.

Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2022 In the Trumpiest fifth of the United States, counties where Trump received at least 63.3 percent of the two-party vote in the past presidential election, 37 percent of the restaurants are chains.

Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2022 The poll, conducted May 27 to June 2 by Baltimore Sun Media/University of Baltimore, showed economic issues as the top priority of about a quarter of Republicans and a fifth of Democrats.

Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 29 Sep. 2022 Right now, Russia still holds around a fifth of this country.

CBS News, 11 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fifth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.