fourfour /fɔː $ fɔːr/ ●●● S2 W1 number, noun 
She is married with four children. They arrived just after four (=four o'clock). Luke will soon be four (=four years old).2on all fours supporting your body with your hands and knees: He was down on all fours playing with the puppy.3in fours in groups of four people or things: The boxes were stacked in fours. → foursome4[countable] a hit in cricket that scores four runs because it goes over the edge of the playing area5[countable] a team of four people who row a racing boat, or the boat that they row6the four corners of the Earth/world literary places or countries that are very far away from each other: People from the four corners of the world have come to Ontario to make it their home. → four ply at ply2
WORD ORIGINfour
Origin:
Old English feowerWORD SETS
add, verbaddition, nounArabic numeral, nounarithmetic progression, nounbi-, prefixbillion, numbercalculate, verbcalculation, nouncardinal, nouncardinal number, nouncoefficient, nouncommon denominator, nounconstant, nouncube, verbcube root, nounD, noundecimal, noundecimal, adjectivedecimal point, noundemi-, prefixdenominator, noundigit, noundivide, verbdividend, noundivisible, adjectivedivision, noundivisor, noundouble-digit, adjectivedouble figures, nouneight, numbereighteen, numbereighth, adjectiveeighty, numbereleven, numberequal, adjectiveequal, verbequals sign, nouneven, adjectiveexponent, nounfactor, nounfactor, verbfactorial, nounfifteen, numberfifth, nounfifty, numberfig., figure, nounfive, numberforty, numberfour, numberfourteen, numberfourth, nounfraction, noungeometric progression, noungross, nounHCF, hundred, numberimproper fraction, nounindivisible, adjectiveinfinity, nouninteger, nounL, nounlogarithm, nounlowest common denominator, nounM, nounmedian, nounmedian, adjectivemillion, numbermultiple, nounmultiplication, nounmultiplication sign, nounmultiplication table, noun-nd, suffixnegative, adjectivenine, numbernineteen, numberninety, numberninth, adjectiveNo., nos., nothing, pronounnought, numbernumber, nounnumeral, nounnumerator, nounnumerical, adjectiveO, nounoblique, nounone, numberordinal number, nounpi, nounplot, verbplus, prepositionpoint, nounpositive, adjectiveprime number, nounproduct, nounproper fraction, nounproportion, nounquadr-, prefixquadrillion, numberquadruple, adjectivequotient, noun-rd, suffixroman numeral, nounroot, nounround, adjectivescore, numbersecond, numberserial number, nounset, nounsingle figures, nounsix, numbersixteen, numbersixty, numbersquare, nounsquare, verbsquared, adjectivesquare root, noun-st, suffixsubtract, verbsum, nountake, verbten, numbertenth, adjectivetertiary, adjectivetetra-, prefixthirteen, numberthirty, numberthousand, numberthree, numberthree-quarter, adjectivethreescore, numbertreble, determinertri-, prefixtrillion, numbertwelve, numbertwenty, numbertwice, adverbunit, nounV, nounvulgar fraction, nounwhole number, nounX, nounzero, number
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The rent money is two months in arrears. 3.5 billion years ago Overseas debt is a staggering £16 billion. 4305 is a four-digit number. I make nine hundred dollars a week. a journey of 15 hundred miles four-legged animals seven million dollars £37 million of new investment Nine out of ten students pass the test first time. five thousand dollars The company employs thirty thousand people. $5.3 trillion Japan’s exports were worth $43 trillion last year.
(=with two, three, four etc people or vehicles next to each other) The planes were flying four abreast.
The planes were flying four abreast. The rent money is two months in arrears. 3.5 billion years ago Overseas debt is a staggering £16 billion. (=used to say how likely something is)· People in their 30s have a one in 3,000 chance of getting the disease.
· A four-year-old child should not be left on their own.
· Each team was based in one of the four corners of the pool.
4305 is a four-digit number.· The cost of the hotel includes a three-course dinner.
(=24, 36, 48 etc) The number of deaths has risen to more than two dozen.
The number of deaths has risen to more than two dozen. (=a man with two, three etc children) The driver, a father of four, escaped uninjured.
The driver, a father of four, escaped uninjured. (=a number in the thousands/ten thousands/hundred thousands etc)· Choose a four figure number that you can easily remember.
· There was a group of three at the bar, two men and a woman.
I make nine hundred dollars a week. a journey of 15 hundred miles four-legged animals seven million dollars £37 million of new investment Nine out of ten students pass the test first time. (=consisting of four, 60 etc separate parts) a five-piece band a three-piece suite (=two chairs and a sofa)
a five-piece band a three-piece suite (=two chairs and a sofa)· Four-bedroom properties are usually ideal for families.
(=share something between three, four etc people or groups) The money will have to be split three ways.
The money will have to be split three ways. (=when something is shared equally between three, four etc people) a three-way split in the profits
a three-way split in the profits (=one with three, four etc people)· About a month ago he hired a four-man team of personal trainers.
five thousand dollars The company employs thirty thousand people. $5.3 trillion Japan’s exports were worth $43 trillion last year. (=having two, three etc wheels) a three-wheeled car
a three-wheeled car (=a very rude word)· The programme was full of four letter words.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► in foursPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► two bits/four bits► twenty-four hour clock► flat-footed/four-footed► throw dice/a six/a four etc
1the number 4: - Billy was down on all fours playing with the puppy.
- For centuries, the Spanish traveled to the four corners of the Earth in search of new lands.
- Even to the four corners of the world. 38.
- He put the Celts at one of the four corners of the world.
- People from the four corners of the world have come to Ontario to make it their home.
- Scholars gathered wisdom and knowledge from the four corners of the world.
- The women's competition was a two horse race between last year's winners Surrey and previous champions Essex.
- After serving two years of her sentence, she was released on probation.
- As no man can serve two masters we had long been told no wise general tries to fight on two fronts.
- He gave Edberg no chance of breaking him, serving four stunning aces and a massive percentage of first services.
- Newton was released after serving two years in prison.
- Reagan became the first incumbent to serve two terms in the presidency since Dwight D.. Eisenhower in the 1950s.
- She served three consecutive terms from 1877 to 1885, and was noted for her fearlessness and power of debate.
- The new managers saw their administrative responsibilities as serving two purposes.
- This story serves two important purposes.
- All the comfortable rooms sleep two and are of a high standard with private shower and W.C; most have a balcony.
- Expect to pay $ 115 for a cabin that sleeps four during peak season.
- He was probably fed up with having to sleep four to a bed.
- I can actually go home and sleep six hours at night now.
- Rates start at $ 75 per night off-season for a cabin that sleeps two.
- Soldiers sleep four or six to a dormitory, with lockable doors and private bathrooms.
- The properties, which sleep four people, are based at Rosecraddoc Manor, set in 38 acres of woodlands near Liskeard.
- They sleep six to a bed and wake up to the fiery sting of bug bites.
- I don't want anything that I have said repeated outside these four walls.
- I can not be said to have a life outside these four walls.
- What purpose did she serve sitting looking at these four walls?
She is married with four children. They arrived just after four (=four o'clock). Luke will soon be four (=four years old).2on all fours supporting your body with your hands and knees: He was down on all fours playing with the puppy.3in fours in groups of four people or things: The boxes were stacked in fours. → foursome4[countable] a hit in cricket that scores four runs because it goes over the edge of the playing area5[countable] a team of four people who row a racing boat, or the boat that they row6the four corners of the Earth/world literary places or countries that are very far away from each other: People from the four corners of the world have come to Ontario to make it their home. → four ply at ply2