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sixteenth

American  
[siks-teenth] / ˈsɪksˈtinθ /

adjective

  1. next after the fifteenth; being the ordinal number for 16.

  2. being one of 16 equal parts.

noun

  1. a sixteenth part, especially of one (1/16).

  2. the sixteenth member of a series.

  3. Music. sixteenth note.

sixteenth British  
/ ˈsɪksˈtiːnθ /

adjective

  1. (usually prenominal)

    1. coming after the fifteenth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of sixteen: often written 16th

    2. ( as noun )

      the sixteenth of the month
"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 16 equal or nearly equal parts of something

    2. ( as modifier )

      a sixteenth part

  2. the fraction that is equal to one divided by 16 ( 1/ 16 )

"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

Etymology

Origin of sixteenth

before 900; Middle English sixtenthe ( see sixteen, -th 2); replacing Middle English sixtenthe, sixtethe, Old English sixtēotha ( see tithe)

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.

When Kelsey Barnard Clark won the sixteenth season of "Top Chef," set in Kentucky, she clinched victory with a dish that defied fine dining expectations: cornbread and buttermilk with crawfish, boiled peanuts, cucumber and watermelon.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2025

The 5-year-old mare ran just off the leader and then made her move with about a sixteenth of a mile to go and just got up at the wire.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2025

A sixteenth child died on Sunday at a hospital in the southern city of Rafah, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported on Monday.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2024

Artisan is Bayer’s sixteenth biggest investor, according to Refinitiv data.

From Reuters • Aug. 25, 2023

For their sixteenth birthday, Sasha asked for an accordion, a manual typewriter, a Soviet flag, and a new Rubik’s Cube.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.