triple

[trip-uhl]

adjective

1. threefold; consisting of three parts.

   a triple knot.

2. of three kinds; threefold in character or relationship.

3. three times as great.

4. International Law.,  tripartite.

noun

1. an amount, number, etc., three times as great as another.

2. a group, set, or series of three; something threefold; triad.

3. Also called three-base hit. Baseball.,  a base hit that enables a batter to reach third base safely.

4. Bowling.,  three strikes in succession.

5. trifecta.

verb (used with object)

tripled, tripling 

1. to make triple.

2. 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)

tripled, tripling 

1. to become triple.

2. Baseball.,  to make a triple.

triple

/ ˈtrɪpəl /

adjective

1. consisting of three parts; threefold

2. (of musical time or rhythm) having three beats in each bar

3. three times as great or as much

noun

1. a threefold amount

2. a group of three

verb

1. to increase or become increased threefold; treble

Other Word Forms

• triply adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of triple¹

1325–75; Middle English (noun and v.) < Latin triplus (adj.), equivalent to tri- tri- + ( du ) plus duple

Word History and Origins

Origin of triple¹

C16: from Latin triplus

Example Sentences

We continued westward, crossing the Atlantic to Brazil, to a church in Recife that has tripled in size since Covid.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"To stay on track, the rate of reductions must double in the 5 years to 2030 and triple in the decade to 2035," it said in a report.

Read more on Barron's

Basic and new state pension payments will rise by 4.8% from April under the "triple lock".

Read more on BBC

It will also reignite discussions over the "fairness" of the so-called triple lock.

Read more on BBC

This is up 75% from last year and triple its average from the three years before that.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• threefold 

When To Use

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. 

Triple also often describes something that is three times as great as something else. For example, a couch that is triple the price of another couch costs three times as much.

• Used in a sentence: I sold my bike for $300, which is triple the $100 I paid for it.  

In this sense, triple is used as a verb to mean to multiply something by three. For example, if you triple 2, you get 6 because 2 x 3 = 6.

• Used in a sentence: I think I will triple the tablespoons of sugar in the next batch of lemonade from 2 tablespoons to 6. 

Triple is also a noun that means a set of three. The word triplet is also commonly used in this sense.

• Used in a sentence: The shirts were packaged together in triples of red, white, and blue.