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foursome

foursome

21 3.2
A group of four people who meet or play together
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔːrsəm/
translation icon : grupo de cuatro
  • My father was pleased: with Ken, we were a foursome, and we could play bridge together.
  • make a foursome
  • a happy foursome
  • a dream foursome

I mean, once the drinks start flowing, who's to say a foursome won't happen?

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Examples

  • Today is my golf day and my foursome tee'd off 20 minutes ago.

  • Set in 1935, the opening scene introduces a foursome consisting of two unhappily married spouses and their lovers.

    Academic text (2017)
  • In fact, we were a foursome before we were born.

  • The foursome sit back on the wide beach, one facing each direction, keeping watch.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • We played in a foursome in last year's golf tournament.

  • Maybe it is time to seriously consider golf: a nice foursome on a manicured course.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The entrees arrived, and while the foursome ate their dinners, the conversation stayed on neutral ground.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Members of the winning foursome this year were the Geoffrey Langer party and Edwin Fluette.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The Americans won the Saturday morning foursomes by a score of 3-1, building a tidy 8-4 cushion.

    Blog text (1)
  • We played in a foursome in last year's golf tournament.

Synonyms

quartet
vsfoursome
15 3.3

A set of four people or things thought of as one unit

is the general term for any group of four rather than performers
quadruplet
vsfoursome
1 6.2

A group of four similar things treated as one

is the everyday label for any four, not only similar items
tetrad
vsfoursome
1 8.6

A group or set of four things

is the simple, general term used in everyday speech
quartette
vsfoursome
  • UK
6.1

A set of four things or people seen as one group

is broader and applies to any group of four, not only artists
quaternion
vsfoursome
  • Archaic
9.6

A group of four people or things

is the plain, common word for any group of four
quaternity
vsfoursome
  • Archaic
9.9

A set of four related things

is the concrete, ordinary term for a group of four people or things

How Many

fivesome
1 6.3
foursome
21 3.2
threesome
14 5.4
twosome
10 3.2

Surface Forms

foursome singular
foursomes plural

Morphology

foursome = four (transparent) = four + some

The noun is clearly formed from the numeral 'four' plus the group-forming suffix '-some', so learners who know 'four' and similar words (e.g., 'twosome', 'threesome') can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word foursome is simply the number four plus the ending -some, which means 'group', like in twosome. So a foursome is a 'group of four'.