triple
Americanadjective
-
threefold; consisting of three parts.
a triple knot.
-
of three kinds; threefold in character or relationship.
-
three times as great.
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International Law. tripartite.
noun
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an amount, number, etc., three times as great as another.
-
a group, set, or series of three; something threefold; triad.
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Also called three-base hit. Baseball. a base hit that enables a batter to reach third base safely.
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Bowling. three strikes in succession.
verb (used with object)
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to make triple.
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Baseball. to cause to come into home plate by a triple.
to triple a runner home; to triple a run in.
verb (used without object)
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to become triple.
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Baseball. to make a triple.
adjective
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consisting of three parts; threefold
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(of musical time or rhythm) having three beats in each bar
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three times as great or as much
noun
-
a threefold amount
-
a group of three
verb
Usage
What is a basic definition of triple? Triple describes something as being made of three parts or being three times as great. Triple also means a set of three. The word triple has several other senses as an adjective, noun, and verb. In any sense, the word triple always has to do with the number three. Triple often describes something that is made of three parts or contains three of something.
- Real-life examples: A triple-layer cake has three layers. A triple homicide involves the murder of three people. A triple-decker bus has three decks of seats. A cardplayer who has triple aces has three cards with aces on them.
- Used in a sentence: My famous triple-layer cake has two layers of chocolate cake and one layer of vanilla cake.
- Used in a sentence: I sold my bike for $300, which is triple the $100 I paid for it.
- Used in a sentence: I think I will triple the tablespoons of sugar in the next batch of lemonade from 2 tablespoons to 6.
- Used in a sentence: The shirts were packaged together in triples of red, white, and blue.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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triplesimple
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triplessimple
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have tripledperfect
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has tripledperfect
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am triplingprogressive
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are triplingprogressive
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is triplingprogressive
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have been triplingperfect progressive
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has been triplingperfect progressive
Past
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tripledsimple
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had tripledperfect
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was triplingprogressive
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were triplingprogressive
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had been triplingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of triple
1325–75; Middle English (noun and v.) < Latin triplus (adj.), equivalent to tri- tri- + ( du ) plus duple
Explanation
Triple means to multiply by three. If you triple the number two, you get six, and six is the triple of the number two. In triple, you see tri which means three. You see this prefix in tricycle (three wheels), tripod (three legs), and triplet (three siblings born at the same time). To triple is to increase threefold, just as to double means to increase twofold, quadruple fourfold and quintuple fivefold. In each of these pairs, the former word is Latin based and the latter has Old English origins.
Vocabulary lists containing triple
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: tri-
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tri (three)
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Ben Carson
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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:
"Back then a diagnosis of inflammatory triple negative breast cancer was like being handed a death sentence," Lynette said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
High renewable power generation is also seen limiting the amount of gas that would be used to meet air conditioning demand, despite temperatures reaching triple digits in Texas and elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Inflammatory breast cancer is where cancer blocks lymph vessels which makes the breast red and swollen while triple negative breast cancer lacks hormones and HER2 receptors.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The technical triple threat has led the S&P 500 to a breakdown, below its 50-DMA.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
She answered the phones and distributed the mail in addition to her regular duties, which at the time involved solving a triple integral for an engineer in the division.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Webb 12, Rolling Hills Prep 6: Sophomore Aidan Kaushal finished with two triples, a double and four RBIs while senior Alec Kaushal added three hits to help Webb win the Division 9 championship.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
Moderna’s first-quarter revenue more than triples to $389 million, leading to a narrower quarterly loss of $1.34 billion.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
That number nearly triples in the next older cohort of 60 to 64, and jumps to nearly 70% by the ages of 65 to 69.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 22, 2026
Or, perhaps, it’s simply that triples really is best: a blitzed corn chip base, a sweet corn body and a final, salty flurry of chips on top.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2026
My heart rate practically triples at just the thought of it.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
Mortgage defaults have tripled over the past year, hitting 12.8 percent, the highest level in 20 years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Samsung shares have more than doubled this year and SK Hynix shares have nearly tripled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Hospital admissions related to those two conditions have doubled and nearly tripled in recent years.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Yousif told AFP demand had tripled, while prices for some recycled plastics increased by up to 60 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
She ignored it even as her heart tripled its beat: cameracameracamera.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Charter rates for the so-called Very Large Crude Carriers, the most-watched vessels in the oil trade, have surged during the conflict, at times tripling from about $100,000 a day in peacetime.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
After tripling in size between 2018 and 2021, U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Tit-for-tat corruption can be difficult to prove, but more than tripling what you’re making one year into your term suggests that all is not on the level here.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
Shares need a boost: After more than tripling in 2025, D-Wave has been a laggard this year, falling 8.3%.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Technology had been moving so quickly, doubling, tripling, quadrupling in power.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
