three

American  

[three] / θri /

noun

• threes
  plural

1. a cardinal number, 2 plus 1.

2. a symbol for this number, as 3 or III.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with three pips.

---

adjective

1. amounting to three in number.

idioms

1. three sheets in the wind. sheet.

three British  

/ θriː /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of two and one and is a prime number See also number

2. a numeral, 3, III, (iii), representing this number

3. the amount or quantity that is one greater than two

4. something representing, represented by, or consisting of three units such as a playing card with three symbols on it

5. Also called: three o'clock. three hours after noon or midnight

---

determiner

1. 1. amounting to three

      three ships

   2. ( as pronoun )

      three were killed

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• threes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of three

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thrēo, thrīo, feminine and neuter of thrī(e); cognate with Dutch drie, German drei, Old Norse thrīr, Gothic threis, Greek treîs, Latin trēs “three,” ter “thrice,” Irish trí, Old Church Slavonic tri, Sanskrit trī, tráyas

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

three threes

In his first full year as pope — and after three consecutive 100-loss seasons — the White Sox made the playoffs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Especially when I lived alone, it was not unheard of for all three meals in a day to be soup.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

It covers more than 20 million households in England, Wales and Scotland and is set by the regulator Ofgem every three months, external.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Counter-terror police are leading the investigation after authorities were tipped off just after midnight on Sunday about three "suspicious" white vans appearing to head towards the air base in Gloucestershire, southwest England.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

I’ve already got number two down, but following number one and three haven’t gone so well.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Over those two decades, Americans became accustomed to rates in the threes and fours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Pre-season coaching has reinforced the players' understanding around supporting team-mates to create clusters of threes.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Burrell and Kiana Williams hit consecutive threes late in the third after the Fever cut the lead to eight points, and it was never close again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Good things do not always come in threes, and Lord's did not follow Wembley and Twickenham in hosting landmark moments of recent English sporting history.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

It would have to be something that came in threes, obviously, and that would allow them to keep acting like little wolf pups, for they had promised Lord Fredrick, and a promise was a promise.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood