rule of three
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rule of three
First recorded in 1585–95
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.
By the rule of three, however, that means it's likely to be offered one more time.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2019
The rule of three as the most stable structure can be subverted to afford you double the scapegoats.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2019
As Ramakrishnan says: “The rule of three is inappropriate today.”
From The Guardian • Sep. 30, 2018
And Iowa State lives by the rule of three: No one, anywhere, has hoisted more 3-pointers than the Cyclones' 878, accounting for about 44 percent of their total field-goal attempts.
From Chicago Tribune • Mar. 18, 2013
They say that Crawford teaches clear to the rule of three, whatever that may be.
From In The Boyhood of Lincoln A Tale of the Tunker Schoolmaster and the Times of Black Hawk by Butterworth, Hezekiah
Definitions 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.
