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• third degree
  third degree

  noun

  intensive questioning or rough treatment, especially by the police, in order to get information or a confession.
• third-degree
  third-degree

  verb (used with object)

  to subject to the third degree.

third degree

¹ American  

noun

1. intensive questioning or rough treatment, especially by the police, in order to get information or a confession.

2. the degree of master mason in Freemasonry.

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third-degree ² American  

[thurd-di-gree] / ˈθɜrd dɪˈgri /

verb (used with object)

third-degreed, third-degreeing

1. to subject to the third degree.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the third degree.

third degree British  

noun

1. informal torture or bullying, esp used to extort confessions or information

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third degree Idioms  

1. Intensive questioning or rough treatment used to obtain information or a confession, as in The detectives gave her the third degree, or Jim gave her the third degree when she came home so late. This term comes from freemasonry, where a candidate receives the third or highest degree, that of master mason, upon passing an intensive test. Dating from the 1770s, the phrase was transferred to other kinds of interrogation in the late 1800s.

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Etymology

Origin of third degree¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Origin of third-degree²

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Tuliaupupu is now pursuing his third degree, as he already earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2022, before earning his master’s degree in project management.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026

We give you the third degree in this week’s Slate News Quiz.

From Slate • May 30, 2025

Heart blocks are graded as first, second or third degree, depending on severity.

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2024

Jurors acquitted Majors of intentional assault in the third degree and second-degree aggravated harassment.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2023

Dad's giving me the third degree, major interrogation, and it really ticks me off.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements