three

[ three ]

See synonyms for three on Thesaurus.com

noun

a cardinal number, 2 plus 1.
a symbol for this number, as 3 or III.

a set of this many persons or things.
a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with three pips.

adjective

amounting to three in number.

Idioms about three

three sheets in the wind. sheet² (def. 3).

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

Words Nearby three

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use three in a sentence

Their three-day scientific outing was paid for by Epstein and was big success.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking | M.L. Nestel | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 | Vicky Ward | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
One of the other cops fired three times and those who were still able to give chase did.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown | Michael Daly | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
So I was looking back at the years, and that really popped out at me, those three years.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire | William O’Connor | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Of the three nominated, Webster did the best, receiving 12 votes, Gohmert and Yoho received three and two votes, respectively.
Democrats Accidentally Save Boehner From Republican Coup | Ben Jacobs, Jackie Kucinich | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST

It is thinner than that of chronic bronchitis, and upon standing separates into three layers of pus, mucus, and frothy serum.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
I waited three months more, in great impatience, then sent him back to the same post, to see if there might be a reply.
The Boarded-Up House | Augusta Huiell Seaman
There are three things a wise man will not trust: the wind, the sunshine of an April day, and woman's plighted faith.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. Ballou
In cross-section the burrows varied from round (three inches in diameter) to oval (three inches high and four inches wide).
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula | Erwin E. Klaas
It separates into three layers upon standing—a brown deposit, a clear fluid, and a frothy layer.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for three

three

/ (θriː) /

noun

the cardinal number that is the sum of two and one and is a prime number: See also number (def. 1)
a numeral, 3, III, (iii), representing this number

the amount or quantity that is one greater than two
something representing, represented by, or consisting of three units such as a playing card with three symbols on it
Also called: three o'clock three hours after noon or midnight

determiner

- amounting to three: three ships
- (as pronoun): three were killed

Origin of three

Old English thrēo; related to Old Norse thrīr, Old High German drī, Latin trēs, Greek treis

Other words from three

Related adjectives: ternary, tertiary, treble, triple
Related prefixes: tri-, ter-

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

Browse