third

[ thurd ]

/ θɜrd /

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See synonyms for: third / thirds on Thesaurus.com

adjective

next after the second; being the ordinal number for three.

being one of three equal parts.

Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is greater than that of second gear for a given engine crankshaft speed, but not as great as that of fourth gear, if such exists: third gear.

rated, graded, or ranked one level below the second: He's third engineer on the ship.

noun

a third part, especially of one (1/3).

the third member of a series.

Automotive. third gear: Don't try to start a car when it's in third.

a person or thing next after second in rank, precedence, order: The writer of the best essay will receive a gold medal, the second a silver, and the third a bronze.

Usually thirds .Law.

the third part of the personal property of a deceased husband, which in certain circumstances goes absolutely to the widow.
a widow's dower.

Music.

a tone on the third degree from a given tone (counted as the first).
the interval between such tones.
the harmonic combination of such tones.

Baseball. third base.

Usually thirds. Commerce. a product or goods below second quality.Compare first (def. 17), second¹ (def. 23).

adverb

in the third place; thirdly.

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Origin of third

before 900; Middle English thirde,Old English (north) thirda, variant of thridda; cognate with Dutch derde,German dritte,Old Norse thrithi,Gothic thridja,Greek trítos,Latin tertius,Sanskrit tṛtīya.See three

OTHER WORDS FROM third

thirdly, adverb

Words nearby third

thiouracil, thiourea, thioxanthene, thir, thiram, third, Third Age, Third Amendment, third base, third baseman, third class

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use third in a sentence

The third suspect, an 18-year-old named Hamyd Mourad, who turned himself in, is part of the same extended family.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Officials have said the war to reclaim upward of a third of Iraq and a quarter of Syria from ISIS could take years.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Third parties in turn quibbled with his accounts, and he was irritated, but not overly so.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The third problem is the evidence of corroborating witnesses.
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Murders are slightly down from 414 last year, but have fallen by about one—third since 2003.
America’s 2014 Murder Capital|Brandy Zadrozny|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But the Mexican caballeros had no notion of coming up to the scratch a third time.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
This was somewhat tiresome; and, after a rather feeble attempt at a third laugh, Davy said, "I don't feel like it any more."
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
It occurred to him then, for the first time, that a third resource was open—he might cut the rope, and let the kite go free!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
On the third day after the declaration of his recall, Ripperda took his official leave, and presented his son in his new office.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The third boat and kite had been damaged beyond repair, but the two left were sufficient.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for third

third

/ (θɜːd) /

adjective (usually prenominal)

coming after the second and preceding the fourth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of three: often written 3rd
(as noun)he arrives on the third; the third got a prize

rated, graded, or ranked below the second level

denoting the third from lowest forward ratio of a gearbox in a motor vehicle

noun

one of three equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, etc
(as modifier)a third part

the fraction equal to one divided by three (1/3)

the forward ratio above second of a gearbox in a motor vehicle. In some vehicles it is the top gear

the interval between one note and another three notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale
one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the otherSee also interval (def. 5), major (def. 15), minor (def. 4d)

British an honours degree of the third and usually the lowest classFull term: third class honours degree

(plural) goods of a standard lower than that of seconds

adverb

Also: thirdly in the third place

sentence connector

Also: thirdly as the third point: linking what follows with the previous statements as in a speech or argument

Derived forms of third

thirdly, adverb

Word Origin for third

Old English thirda, variant of thridda; related to Old Frisian thredda, Old Saxon thriddio, Old High German drittio, Old Norse thrithi, Latin tertius

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

Medical definitions for third

third

[ thûrd ]

adj.

Coming next after second, as in order, rank, or time.

Being the digit that is adjacent to and is on the outermost side of the second digit, as on a foot.

Other words from third

third n.

third

Origin of third

OTHER WORDS FROM third

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How to use third in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for third

Derived forms of third

Word Origin for third

Medical definitions for third

Other words from third