trio

American  

[tree-oh] / ˈtri oʊ /

noun

• trios
  plural

1. a musical composition for three voices or instruments.

2. a company of three singers or players.

3. any group of three persons or things.

4. a subordinate division of a minuet, scherzo, march, etc., usually in a contrasted key and style (perhaps originally written for three instruments or in three parts).

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trio British  

/ ˈtriːəʊ /

noun

1. a group of three people or things

2. music

   1. a group of three singers or instrumentalists or a piece of music composed for such a group

   2. a subordinate section in a scherzo, minuet, etc, that is contrastive in style and often in a related key

3. piquet three cards of the same rank

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trio

1715–25; < Italian, equivalent to tri- tri- + ( du ) o two

Explanation

Whether it’s birds, opera singers, aces, or golfers, you can use the word trio to refer to anything made up of three. You can probably tell by tri- that trio involves three of something. It’s often used to describe a musical arrangement featuring three vocal parts or three different instruments, or a musical group made up of three players, such as a jazz trio consisting of a piano player, a bass player, and a drummer. For those not musically inclined, the word can be used more broadly to refer to three of anything, such as a trio of friends.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trio trios

Risk tolerance is the subjective marker in this trio.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

The trio performs Saturday at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach as part of a series of shows that will take the band to the U.K.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The trio are due to return next week after being given a month off following the World Cup, with Martinez losing the final with Argentina and Watkins and Konsa helping England to third place.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Díaz also partnered with newer collaborators Latin Mafia, taking the Mexican alternative trio to Mexico City restaurant Voraz to share his album.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

He sang with his trio and gave his speech.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

The team sequenced the genomes of four parent-offspring trios and counted the new mutations that appeared.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Mr. Millepied’s contemporary dance choreography is dominated by animated groups alternating with trios, duos and solos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

Having one of the best offensive trios of all time, the Johnson sacking and several off-field controversies involving players made the Cowboys as notorious as they were successful.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2025

Yates was expected to play alongside point guard Desmond Claude, assuming he doesn’t declare for the NBA draft, and incoming five-star prospect Alijah Arenas, forming one of the Big Ten’s better backcourt trios.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2025

Or like Pa’s old doo-wop records with duos and trios that went high, higher, then low.

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• threesome
• trilogy
• triumvirate