B1nounmoneyscience
US/fɪfθ/
UK/fɪfθ/
one of the five parts of the same size that something can be divided into
In context
About a fifth of the students in my class come from other provinces.
Rent takes up more than two fifths of my monthly salary.
The shop cut its prices by a fifth to attract more customers.
Words that go with fifth
noun + preposition
- a fifth ofA fifth of the population lives in the two biggest cities.
verb + preposition
- account for a fifthTourism accounts for about a fifth of the city's income.
- increase by a fifthTicket prices increased by a fifth last year.
- cut by a fifthThe factory has cut costs by a fifth this year.
- drop by a fifthVisitor numbers dropped by a fifth during the rainy season.
verb + noun
- make up a fifthWomen make up a fifth of the engineers in our company.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:
Two fifth of the money went on food.Correct: Two fifths of the money went on food.