equivalent to the product of two and two; one more than three, or six less than ten; 4:Francesca’s got four brothersit took four of them to lift ita four-bedroom house (Roman numeral: iv or IV, archaic iiii or IIII)
a group or unit of four people or things:the girls walked in pairs or fours
four years old:I began to read at four
four o’clock:it’s half past four
Cricket a hit that reaches the boundary after first striking the ground, scoring four runs:he hit a six and seven fours
a size of garment or other merchandise denoted by four.
a playing card or domino with four pips.
a four-oared rowing boat or its crew:the British women’s coxed four
the four freedoms
the four essential human freedoms as proclaimed in a speech to Congress by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
four noble truths
the four central beliefs containing the essence of Buddhist teaching.See Buddhism.
