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
Nearly a fifth of crude oil production and 28% of natural gas output in U.S. Gulf of Mexico federal waters remained offline Sunday, the U.S. offshore energy regulator said.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2024
Together, the defense budgets of U.S. allies in Asia are less than a fifth of that of the United States.
—Susannah Patton, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2024
Those goods represented more than a fifth of everything that Americans purchased abroad, Quartz reported in 2020.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 13 Sep. 2024
As of 2022, only about a fifth of girls ages 9 to 14 had received a dose, falling well short of WHO’s goal of reaching 90% of 15-year-old girls by 2030.
—Fran Kritz, NPR, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fifth 
John Bacon, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2024
Together, the defense budgets of U.S. allies in Asia are less than a fifth of that of the United States.
—Susannah Patton, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2024
Those goods represented more than a fifth of everything that Americans purchased abroad, Quartz reported in 2020.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 13 Sep. 2024
As of 2022, only about a fifth of girls ages 9 to 14 had received a dose, falling well short of WHO’s goal of reaching 90% of 15-year-old girls by 2030.
—Fran Kritz, NPR, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fifth
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fifth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fifth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fifth. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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