three

American  

[three] / θri /

noun

• threes
  plural

1. a cardinal number, 2 plus 1.

2. a symbol for this number, as 3 or III.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with three pips.

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adjective

1. amounting to three in number.

idioms

1. three sheets in the wind. sheet.

three British  

/ θriː /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of two and one and is a prime number See also number

2. a numeral, 3, III, (iii), representing this number

3. the amount or quantity that is one greater than two

4. something representing, represented by, or consisting of three units such as a playing card with three symbols on it

5. Also called: three o'clock. three hours after noon or midnight

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to three

      three ships

   2. ( as pronoun )

      three were killed

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• threes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of three

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thrēo, thrīo, feminine and neuter of thrī(e); cognate with Dutch drie, German drei, Old Norse thrīr, Gothic threis, Greek treîs, Latin trēs “three,” ter “thrice,” Irish trí, Old Church Slavonic tri, Sanskrit trī, tráyas

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

three threes

His final journey through three countries triggered concerns about the number of people he could have been in contact with along the way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The human body contains three major types, each designed for a different job.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Among other things, Bakker had offered nearly 160,000 people the opportunity to reserve a room at the 500-room Heritage Grand Hotel for three nights a year for life for $1,000 — a mathematical impossibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Ministers are considering whether to close or partially close three junctions, potentially by 2028.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Today there were three small berries nestled together at the back of her head.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Over those two decades, Americans became accustomed to rates in the threes and fours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Pre-season coaching has reinforced the players' understanding around supporting team-mates to create clusters of threes.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Good things do not always come in threes, and Lord's did not follow Wembley and Twickenham in hosting landmark moments of recent English sporting history.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

“It came down to contested threes and not a lot of good possessions for us... in the end No.30 did what 30 does,” he said, referring to Curry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Cassiopeia counted by twos, Beowulf by threes, and Alexander by fours, but it all came out twelve in the end.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood