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Definition of 'four'

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four

(fɔːʳ )
Word forms: plural fours
1. number
Four is the number 4.
Judith is married with four children.
2. countable noun
In cricket, if a player hits a four, they score four runs by hitting the ball along the ground so that it crosses the boundary at the edge of the playing area.
Taylor hit 13 fours and batted for 140 minutes.
3. countable noun
A four is a narrow racing boat that is rowed by a team of four people.
4. 
See on all fours
More Synonyms of four
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

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four

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four in British English

(fɔː )
noun
1. 
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
2. 
a numeral, 4, IV, etc, representing this number
3. 
something representing, represented by, or consisting of four units, such as a playingcard with four symbols on it
4.  Also called: four o'clock
four hours after noon or midnight
5.  cricket
a. 
a shot that crosses the boundary after hitting the ground
b. 
the four runs scored for such a shot
6.  rowing
a. 
a racing shell propelled by four oarsmen pulling one oar each, with or without a cox
b. 
the crew of such a shell
determiner
7. 
a. 
amounting to four
four thousand eggs
four times
b. 
(as pronoun)
four are ready
▶ Related prefixes: , quadri-, tetra-
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English fēower; related to Old Frisian fiūwer, Old Norse fjōrir, Old High German fior, Latin quattuor, Greek tessares, Sanskrit catur
Word Frequency

four in American English

(fɔr ; foʊr )
adjective
1. 
totaling one more than three
noun
2. 
the cardinal number between three and five; 4; IV
3. 
any group of four people or things
4. 
something numbered four or having four units, as a playing card, face of a die, etc.
Idioms:
on all fours
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME < OE feower, akin to Ger vier, Goth fidwōr < IE base *kwetwor- > L quattuor, Welsh pedwar

Examples of 'four' in a sentence
four

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
In the second half we hit four more.
The Sun (2017)
One in four people think that the maximum is at least double that.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We have ambitions of being in the top four and winning trophies.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The figure is four times the number recorded just two years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There were nine more incidents involving between one and four birds over the next three months.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In each episode four bakers from past series will compete against each other.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These four players received the longest sentences.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You could see it was a matter of time before we scored three or four.
The Sun (2017)
Up to four million people should be better off.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They join aged four after play assessments.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It was about three or four years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They won just one of their four matches despite being tipped as possible champions.
The Sun (2009)
The rig count has increased in four of the past five weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We brought four players in two years ago.
The Sun (2008)
You cannot simply boil health down to four numbers.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They could only walk for four hours due to high temperatures and tricky terrain.
The Sun (2009)
The top four teams in the standings have home advantage.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The top four has been made more difficult by other results this weekend.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The two men continued to exchange genial insults for the next four decades.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The board shows four minutes of added time.
The Sun (2014)
Falcons have three wins from four games.
The Sun (2016)
Around one in four teachers completed such schemes.
Yearley, Steven Science, Technology, and Social Change (1988)
He hit only six fours despite a short straight boundary and the fact that he batted through most of the powerplay overs.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The 25-year-old scored four goals last season.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
When we score three or four, we tend to win.
The Sun (2010)
In short The secret of life is only four letters long.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
IT has definitely become much harder to live over the last four years.
The Sun (2012)

More idioms containing
four

four corners of the world

Trends of
four

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In other languages
four

British English: four /fɔː/ NUMBER
Four is the number 4.
  • American English: four /ˈfɔr/
  • Arabic: أَرْبَعَ
  • Brazilian Portuguese: quatro
  • Chinese: 四
  • Croatian: četiri
  • Czech: čtyři
  • Danish: fire
  • Dutch: vier
  • European Spanish: cuatro
  • Finnish: neljä
  • French: quatre
  • German: vier
  • Greek: τέσσερα
  • Italian: quattro
  • Japanese: 四
  • Korean: 4
  • Norwegian: fire
  • Polish: cztery
  • European Portuguese: quatro
  • Romanian: patruzeci
  • Russian: четыре
  • Latin American Spanish: cuatro
  • Swedish: fyra
  • Thai: สี่
  • Turkish: dört
  • Ukrainian: чотири
  • Vietnamese: bốn

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Nearby words of
four

  • Fouqué
  • Fouquet
  • Fouquier-Tinville
  • four
  • four corners of the world
  • four eyes principle

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'F'

Related terms of
four

  • four-four
  • V-four
  • back four
  • Big Four
  • four bits

  • View more related words

Source

Definition of four from theCollins English Dictionary
New from Collins

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Question: 1
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Score: 0 / 5

leant or lent?

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lent
leant
I   the book to my brother for a couple of weeks.

flour or flower?

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flower
flour
Fiona picked a beautiful red   for the display.

fair or fare?

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fair
fare
Do you feel they are paying their   share?

shaken or shook?

Which version is correct?
The nurse shaken the thermometer and put it under my arm. The nurse shook the thermometer and put it under my arm.

main or mane?

Which version is correct?
This is one of the main tourist areas of Amsterdam. This is one of the mane tourist areas of Amsterdam.
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Apr 27, 2021
Word of the day
rosarium
a rose garden
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Scrabble score
for 'four':
7

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
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Score: 0 / 5

team or teem?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
teem
team
By March the place is starting to   with tourists.

came or come?

Which version is correct?
The time has came for us to move on.  The time has come for us to move on. 

way or weigh?

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way
weigh
I can't think of a worse   to spend my time.

die or dye?

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die
dye
My love for you will never  .

pole or poll?

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poll
pole
A weekly   has shown that the president's popularity is declining.
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