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ménage à trois

or menage a trois

[ mey-nahzhah trwah; French mey-nazha-trwah ]
/ meɪˈnɑʒ ɑ ˈtrwɑ; French meɪ naʒ a ˈtrwɑ /
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noun, plural mé·na·ges à trois [mey-nah-zhiz ah trwah]. /meɪˈnɑ ʒɪz ɑ ˈtrwɑ/.
a domestic arrangement in which three people, usually a heterosexual couple and one other person, are engaged in a sexual or romantic relationship and occupy the same household.
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Origin of ménage à trois

First recorded in 1860–65; from French: “household of three”

Words nearby ménage à trois

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ménage à trois in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ménage à trois

ménage à trois
/ French (menaʒ a trwɑ) /

noun plural ménages à trois (menaʒ a trwɑ)
a sexual arrangement involving a married couple and the lover of one of them

Word Origin for ménage à trois

literally: household of three
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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