trio
Americannoun
-
trios
plural
-
a musical composition for three voices or instruments.
-
a company of three singers or players.
-
any group of three persons or things.
-
a subordinate division of a minuet, scherzo, march, etc., usually in a contrasted key and style (perhaps originally written for three instruments or in three parts).
noun
-
a group of three people or things
-
music
-
a group of three singers or instrumentalists or a piece of music composed for such a group
-
a subordinate section in a scherzo, minuet, etc, that is contrastive in style and often in a related key
-
-
piquet three cards of the same rank
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of trio
Explanation
Whether it’s birds, opera singers, aces, or golfers, you can use the word trio to refer to anything made up of three. You can probably tell by tri- that trio involves three of something. It’s often used to describe a musical arrangement featuring three vocal parts or three different instruments, or a musical group made up of three players, such as a jazz trio consisting of a piano player, a bass player, and a drummer. For those not musically inclined, the word can be used more broadly to refer to three of anything, such as a trio of friends.
Vocabulary lists containing trio
Music - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Music - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Music - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
During their work a surprising family connection among the trio comes to light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
They know how to surprise, and they use their trio of actors to do it cleverly.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
The new trio discussed how they would approach breakfast the next morning, before Acaster delivered the line of the episode.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The deaths of the trio sparked an outpouring of grief and condemnation in Australia and the United States.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Compounding the problem was the fact that throughout the tense meal, all around them people were gawking at the trio and whispering.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
The team sequenced the genomes of four parent-offspring trios and counted the new mutations that appeared.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Welk was an accordionist and band leader who featured female trios and old-fashioned music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Having one of the best offensive trios of all time, the Johnson sacking and several off-field controversies involving players made the Cowboys as notorious as they were successful.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2025
Yates was expected to play alongside point guard Desmond Claude, assuming he doesn’t declare for the NBA draft, and incoming five-star prospect Alijah Arenas, forming one of the Big Ten’s better backcourt trios.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2025
We exist as parts of trios, quartets, and so on.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
