trident
noun
a three-pronged instrument or weapon.
trident
American
[trahyd-nt]
/ ˈtraɪd nt /
noun
-
tridents
plural
-
a three-pronged instrument or weapon.
-
Roman History. a three-pronged spear used by a retiarius in gladiatorial combats.
-
Classical Mythology. the three-pronged spear forming a characteristic attribute of the sea god Poseidon, or Neptune.
-
a fish spear having three prongs.
-
Military. Trident, a 34-foot (10-meter) submarine-launched U.S. ballistic missile with eight to ten warheads and a range of 6,500 miles (10,459 km).
adjective
trident
1
British
/ ˈtraɪdənt /
noun
-
a three-pronged spear, originally from the East
-
(in Greek and Roman mythology) the three-pronged spear that the sea god Poseidon (Neptune) is represented as carrying
-
a three-pronged instrument, weapon, or symbol
adjective
Trident
2
British
/ ˈtraɪdənt /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of trident
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin trident- (stem of tridēns ) “having three teeth”; see tri-, dent 2
Explanation
If you’re the ancient Greek god of the sea, you’re probably already familiar with a trident, a three-pronged spear you can use to stab things. The trident, which is a spear with three points, or prongs, is often associated with the Greek god Poseidon, who used his trident to cause earthquakes and create sources of water. Mere mortals, however, are more likely to use a trident for spear fishing, or long ago, for military combat. Remember not to confuse a trident with a pitchfork, which is used mainly for lifting and tossing things.
Vocabulary lists containing trident
UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #5
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #6
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: tri-
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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:
Some fought with only a trident; some fought mounted on horseback; some on chariot; others on foot with helmet and short sword; some with two daggers; still others exclusively fought wild beasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
The design will feature three masts described as "the trident", which the architects say will be 200 metres high and visible from 25 miles away.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2025
Tiffany & Co.’s new collection by Pharrell Williams, dubbed Tiffany Titan, takes inspiration from mythology, channeling the spike of Poseidon’s trident as a symbol of lifeforce, rebellious power and punk energy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2024
Raley hit a 432-foot blast off Royals starter Brady Singer in the second inning, and then promptly broke the team trident while celebrating in the dugout.
From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2024
The merman held his trident in his wooden fist, the mermaid looked into the distance out of pale green eyes, dreaming of the waters of the open sea.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
Deterra has a royalty over the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada following its 2024 acquisition of Trident Royalties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Then the engineers of Trident, near Kharkiv, moving to another scale and paving the way for decisive technological breakthroughs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
The net closed in on the Jabber Zeus crew, and an FBI-led operation called Trident Beach saw arrests in Ukraine and the UK.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
In September, the United States carried out tests of its nuclear-capable Trident missiles.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025
It had been near the Trident that she'd left Nymeria.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Fair enough, until I look around the restaurant and notice how many visual distractions there are, including all shapes and sizes of tridents.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2023
Worship in a Hindu temple includes bathing these deities in milk, decorating them with colorful clothes, flowers, perfumes such as sandalwood, jewelry, and even weapons such as swords, clubs and tridents.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2023
Videos show participants dancing and chanting religious slogans, with many holding swords and tridents.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2022
At his previous job with Napoli, Sarri turned a trio of previously unspectacular forwards into one of the best attacking tridents in the world.
From Slate ● Jan. 2, 2019
Of course it’s Finnick, who seems to have spent his childhood doing nothing but wielding tridents and manipulating ropes into fancy knots for nets, I guess.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
