trio

American  

[tree-oh] / ˈtri oʊ /

noun

plural

trios

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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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

Hugh Jackman headlines a trio of monologues and Cecily Strong and Corey Stoll go on an awkward date in a pair of shows at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

One imagines not the ghost of Cathy or Heathcliff, but a trio of women, very much alive and striding through the heather, their minds alight with the stories they would tell, set among similar terrain.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

England have ended Ollie Robinson's two-year international exile and called up uncapped trio Emilio Gay, James Rew and Sonny Baker for the first Test since the dismal Ashes campaign.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

The globe-spanning scandal also ensnared Pras Michel, a rapper in rap trio the Fugees, who was found guilty of helping Low funnel money from 1MDB into US politics.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

We stood together, our trio at the corner of the stage, and listened as a steel guitar started off the first song.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Related Words

• threesome
• trilogy
• triumvirate