Synonyms

third wheel

American

[thurd weel, hweel] / ˈθɜrd ˈwil, ˈʰwil /

noun

a person or thing that does not belong or is not wanted or needed.

When my wife’s sister is here the two of them talk up a storm, and I feel like a third wheel.

Etymology

Origin of third wheel

First recorded in 1900–05

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.

And while there’s plenty to be gained as a third-wheeler, couples also find value in having a third wheel join them.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2022

Step forward, Juan Gris: the eternal third wheel in Picasso and Braque’s classic rivalry, who graduates here to the TKO champion of Cubist illusion.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2022

James’s third wheel, Russell Westbrook, has been a disastrous fit and a major impediment to the Lakers’ cap flexibility and trade options.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2022

Playing the third wheel was Scott Disick, aka the ex of Kourtney Kardashian.

From Fox News • Dec. 20, 2021

I had no clue there was something between them, and then all of a sudden I’m the third wheel on what I thought was lunch with my best friend.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023