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four

four

50 1.0
A card, die, or domino that shows four spots
  • noun
  • /fɔr/
translation icon : cuatro
  • But the cat coped easily on all fours, and Lisbeth only ducked out of instinct.

Examples

  • Next should be the four of clubs.

  • Captain Lewis said, "Form column of fours... to the parade ground, march."

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I love playing Connect Four with Wesley and my wife.

  • Three sevens And a pair of fours.

  • So close, two fours, which Norm jacked up a while ago.

  • Singles, doubles, fours, they haven't lost a race yet.

  • Charlie crawls on all fours through the gravel at the side of the road.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The back wall, the one made of plywood and two-by-fours, looked impressive, even intimidating, from this side.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Kitten followed at a swift, ground-eating gallop on all fours, while Daine and Tkaa brought up the rear.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • In the game of cards, I drew a four of hearts, which helped me win the round.

Synonyms

four-spot
vsfour
1 8.1

A playing card, domino, or die with four dots on it

is the same meaning but written without a hyphen

Idioms

2 3.4

Happens all the time without stopping

to the four winds
  • Literature
2 8.4

Spread in all directions so they cannot be found

So drunk that you cannot walk or speak clearly

A way to say eighty-seven years ago, used by Abraham Lincoln at the start of the Gettysburg Address

Always ready to work or help, day and night

Compounds

136 1.0

To multiply an amount by four

70 1.0

A person, animal, or thing that is four years old

A period equal to one full day and night

18 2.0

A vehicle that has four wheels

four-wheel drive
  • Specialized
16 3.4

A system that powers all four wheels for better grip on rough or slippery ground

two-by-four
  • Specialized
9 3.1

A piece of wood about two inches by four inches used for building

four-letter word
  • Offensive
9 7.7

A rude or offensive word with four letters used to show anger

7 7.7

A garden plant with colorful, fragrant flowers that open in the late afternoon

Four Horsemen
  • Literature
6 9.9

Four riders who represent conquest, war, famine, and disease at the end of the world

A small green plant with four leaves that people think brings luck

6 5.6

A bed with four tall posts at the corners that hold a canopy or curtains

5 2.8

A road that has two lanes for traffic in each direction

four-wheeler
  • Archaic
4 5.1

A vehicle with four wheels like a carriage or taxi that people pay to use

1 3.2

A thing that has four wheels, like a car or cart

1 7.8

A small sweet cake served with tea or as a dessert

Four Hundred
  • Archaic
1 8.9

A small group of rich and famous people who make up the city's most exclusive circle

1 6.5

An agreement that involves four different people or groups

Four riders on horses in the Bible that stand for taking land, war, hunger, and death, warning of great disaster

four-part harmony
  • Specialized
1 5.5

Four voices singing different notes together to make a rich musical sound

1 5.1

Having four pointed parts like a fork

four-four time
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A musical beat pattern with four beats in each bar

four-hitter
  • Jargon
1 8.2

A baseball game in which a pitcher allows only four hits by the other team

A number that comes after three hundred ninety-nine in a list

A short announcement people hear four minutes before an event ends to tell them to prepare

four-pounder
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small cannon that fires a four-pound shot

1 8.1

A playing card, domino, or die with four dots on it

four-stroke engine
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A machine that makes power using four piston movements in one cycle

A wildflower with purple-red flowers that open in the late afternoon

clue-by-four
  • Slang
9.9

A strong direct hint that makes someone suddenly understand

coach-and-four
  • Archaic
9.9

A large carriage pulled by four horses with a driver

A wildflower with deep pink tube-shaped flowers that open in the evening

A garden plant with scented flowers that open late afternoon

A desert plant with deep pink, tube-shaped flowers that open in the evening

four flush
  • Archaic
9.9

An attempt to trick others by pretending to have a strong poker hand or more success than you have

A small insect with bright wings whose front legs are very small and folded so it walks on four legs

four-act play
  • Archaic
6.3

A play divided into four parts that each show part of the story

9.9

A cheating street card game that tricks people out of money

four-centered arch
  • Specialized
9.9

A wide, low arch with a gentle point used in old churches and houses

A small yellow or orange bug with four black stripes that makes spots on plant leaves

A runner who has run a mile in less than four minutes

four-needled
  • Specialized
8.3

An evergreen tree like a pine with four needles in each small group on its branches

four-o'clock family
  • Specialized
9.5

A group of flowering plants like herbs, shrubs, and vines that open in the afternoon

four-in-hand
  • Archaic
9.9

A carriage pulled by four horses driven by one person

A long necktie tied so one end hangs in front of the other

A short rude English word of four letters that insults someone

9.9

A large size of printed letters of about 32 points used for headings and title pages

A small yellow insect with four black stripes on its back that feeds on plants

four-petaled
  • Specialized
3.8

A flower with four petals

A machine that burns fuel inside and makes power in four piston strokes

four-tailed bandage
  • Specialized
9.7

A cloth strip with four tails that you tie over the head to hold the jaw or chin

A sea fish with large side and belly fins that glides above water

A simple game for children using the thumb and four fingers to help them move well

A leafy wildflower with light purple flowers that open in the evening and last into the next morning

A leafy wildflower with sweet-smelling white or pale pink trumpet flowers that blooms late afternoon

A low plant with groups of three deep pink flowers near the ground

How Many

sixsome
  • Archaic
6.5
five
1.0
four
50 1.0
three
1.0
two
1.0
one
1.0

Surface Forms

four singular
fours plural

Etymology

Four comes from the old German word feower, the same root as German vier. That is why a playing card, domino, or die with four spots is simply called a four, because it shows 'four'.