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third man

American  

noun

  1. Cricket.

    1. the position of a fielder on the off side between slip and point.

    2. the fielder occupying this position.

  2. Lacrosse.

    1. the position of a player, first in the line of defense between center and goal.

    2. the player occupying this position.


third man British  

noun

  1. cricket

    1. a fielding position on the off side near the boundary behind the batsman's wicket

    2. a fielder in this position

"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

Etymology

Origin of third man

First recorded in 1870–75

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:

According to a Vietnamese state media report published on Monday, Tran and Nguyen were detained with a third man at the border in Tay Ninh province on 18 September.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

It was not all brawn for Brook, who regularly played deft guides to third man.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

The body of a third man, aged in his mid-50s, was found on the sand nearby and is yet to be formally identified.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

If we speak about superiority, you have to mention Roberto de Zerbi in how to find the third man, the small details that he discovered.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

Roger Chaffee, who had been picked to be an astronaut in the same group as me, was a rookie—and the third man on the crew.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

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