plural fifths
ˈfiths 
ˈfif(t)ths,
ˈfif(t)s
1
: one that is number five in a series
Payment is due on the fifth of the month.
see Table of Numbers
2
: one of five equal parts of something
spent a fifth of their income on rent
3
a
: the musical interval embracing five diatonic degrees
b
: a tone at this interval
specifically
: dominant sense 1
c
: the harmonic combination of two tones at this interval
4
: a unit of measure for liquor equal to one fifth of a U.S. gallon (0.757 liter)
5
the Fifth
: the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
also
: the right accorded by the Fifth Amendment to refuse to testify against oneself see also plead the Fifth, take the Fifth
fifth
adjective or adverb
the fifth annual food festival
She finished fifth in the race.
fifthly
adverb
Fourthly, it takes a lot of concrete to make a nuclear power plant. Fifthly, there is no place to put the waste that is safe.
—
Victor Odlivak
Victor Odlivak
Examples of fifth in a Sentence
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
Typically firms have allocated 10% of share offerings to retail traders, although some of the most recent IPOs have allocated a fifth of the offering to retail investors.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
After the passage of Measure A, an initiative introduced by the Board of Supervisors in November 2024 and approved by voters in March, the charter was changed to allow the board to remove a sheriff with cause by a four-fifths vote through 2028, the end of Corpus’ term.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Tuli Tuipulotu had a monster sack, his fifth of the year.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025
Breaking from a grid that serves one-fifth of Americans, though, would be costly and difficult.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fifth
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Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
After the passage of Measure A, an initiative introduced by the Board of Supervisors in November 2024 and approved by voters in March, the charter was changed to allow the board to remove a sheriff with cause by a four-fifths vote through 2028, the end of Corpus’ term.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Tuli Tuipulotu had a monster sack, his fifth of the year.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025
Breaking from a grid that serves one-fifth of Americans, though, would be costly and difficult.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fifth
Cite this Entry
“Fifth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fifth. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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