fifth force
fifth force noun: a hypothetical fundamental force, distinct from gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong force and weak force, proposed to explain various anomalous observations that do not fit existing theories.
Noun
fifth force (plural fifth forces)
- A hypothetical fundamental force, distinct from gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong force and weak force, proposed to explain various anomalous observations that do not fit existing theories.
- According to Ephraim Fischbach's 1986 theory, the more tightly packed these particles are, the more strongly the atom feels the repulsive effect of the fifth force.1989 May, John Boslough, “Searching for the Secrets of Gravity”, in National Geographic, volume 175, number 5, page 569
- The tantalising theory that a fifth force of nature could exist has been given a boost thanks to unexpected wobbling by a subatomic particle, physicists have revealed. […] Dr Mitesh Patel, from Imperial College London, said: “We’re talking about a fifth force because we can’t necessarily explain...2023 August 11, Nicola Davis, “Scientists may be on brink of discovering fifth force of nature”, in The Guardian
Forms of fifth force
| plural | fifth forces |
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Questions about fifth force
- What does fifth force mean?
- Fifth force means a hypothetical fundamental force, distinct from gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong force and weak force, proposed to explain various anomalous observations that do not fit existing theories.
- What part of speech is fifth force?
- Fifth force is a noun.
- What is the plural of fifth force?
- The plural of fifth force is fifth forces.
Words near fifth force in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: fifth force (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “fifth force.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/fifth_force. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
