third party

American  

noun

• third parties
  plural

1. any party to an incident, case, quarrel, etc., who is incidentally involved.

2. (in a two-party system) a political party formed as a dissenting or independent group from members of one or both of the two prevailing major parties.

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third party British  

noun

1. a person who is involved by chance or only incidentally in a legal proceeding, agreement, or other transaction, esp one against whom a defendant claims indemnity

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adjective

1. insurance providing protection against liability caused by accidental injury or death of other persons or damage to their property

   third-party insurance

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• third parties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of third party

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

third party

Bryan also posted a screenshot of another message that appeared to have been sent by LaPaglia to a third party and outlined several alleged “options” available to her in the aftermath of the breakup.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Accordingly, the deal is now specifically fashioned as a deal with a third party, North American Blue Energy Partners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

China's defence ministry added that the site would be "maintained for normal operations by both sides" and did not target any third party.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

This was an agreement between City and a third party called Fordham which was, according to the ruling, "little more than a front".

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

"Yes, sir, he put through the sale—though he made it clear that he was buying Soldier Island for a third party, unnamed."

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Related Words

• mediator