ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fifths

n. plural-only
B1 Intermediate US //ˈfɪfs// UK //fˈɪfθs// fifths

n. five equal parts that make up a whole thing. You use this word when you divide something into five pieces and talk about more than one of them.

n. plural form of the fractional unit representing one of five equal parts of a whole. Often used in musical theory to describe intervals or in liquid measurements.


SIMPLE

He drank two fifths of the water in the bottle.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee agreed that three fifths of the budget should go toward local infrastructure improvements.

COMPLEX

In classical music theory, a series of perfect fifths creates a harmonic progression that eventually returns to the starting key, a concept known as the circle of fifths.

Synonyms
Usage

As a fraction, it takes a plural verb when the noun it refers to is plural, but a singular verb when referring to a single mass.

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