triplet

[ trip-lit ]

/ ˈtrɪp lɪt /

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See synonyms for: triplet / triplets on Thesaurus.com

noun

one of three children or offspring born at the same birth.

triplets, three offspring born at one birth.

any group or combination of three.

Prosody. three successive verses or lines, especially when rhyming and of the same length; a stanza of three lines.

Also called tercet. Music. a group of three notes to be performed in the time of two ordinary notes of the same kind.

an assembled imitation gem with three parts, the center one giving the color, the top and bottom, sometimes genuine, supplying the wearing qualities.

Genetics. a sequence of three nucleotides; a codon in messenger RNA and an anticodon in transfer RNA.

Optics. a compound lens in which three lenses are combined.

triplets, (in some card games) three cards of the same denomination.

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Origin of triplet

First recorded in 1650–60; triple + -et

Words nearby triplet

triple play, triple point, triple rhythm, triple sec, triple-space, triplet, tripletail, triple threat, triple time, tripleton, triple-tongue

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use triplet in a sentence

From the time the triplets started kindergarten, he was an enthusiastic member of the school community, serving on the parent-teacher organization, attending board meetings and even volunteering on Kinnon’s political campaigns.
A Charter School's Racial Controversy Reveals the Battle for America's Classrooms|Molly Ball/Malden, Mass.|November 22, 2021|Time
They have a great loving family, 23-year-old triplets and 21-year-old twins.
Opinion | Macha, Byrne for Rehoboth Beach Commission|Peter Rosenstein|July 21, 2021|Washington Blade
For example, extremely preterm twins and triplets often fare worse than single-born babies.
How We Investigated Death Rates for Extremely Preterm Babies in This State’s Largest Maternity Hospitals|by Bryant Furlow, New Mexico In Depth|March 30, 2021|ProPublica
The number of extremely preterm twins and triplets, who often fare poorly, also did not explain the death-rate disparity.
The Two Hospitals Have Similar Infant Death Rates — Until You Look at Extremely Premature Babies|by Bryant Furlow, New Mexico In Depth|March 30, 2021|ProPublica

It also contains most of the atmosphere’s ozone, triplet molecules made from three oxygen atoms.
Explainer: Our atmosphere — layer by layer|Beth Geiger|December 1, 2020|Science News For Students
Triplet panda cubs born this past July were reunited with their mother, Juxiao, in a Chinese zoo this week.
‘Sexual’ Barbershop Quartet, a Panda Family Reunion, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Music aficionados recognize this rhythm as a triplet or “hemiola”: the playing of two different musical patterns simultaneously.
The Goldilocks of Black Holes|Matthew R. Francis|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During that same age span, the percentage of ART-assisted triplet pregnancies soars from 40 percent to 80 percent.
Carla Bruni, Pregnant at 43?|Anneli Rufus|April 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I think that privately we thought him something worse than a triplet, but we neither knew quite how to say it.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, November 4, 1914|Various
A stanza of two lines is called a couplet; of three lines, a triplet; of four lines, a quatrain.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism|F. V. N. Painter
Triplet thanked her for her condescension; he would wait for Mr. Vane in the hall.
Peg Woffington|Charles Reade
For Triplet looked like an absurd wolf—all benevolence and starvation!
Peg Woffington|Charles Reade
A grampus was heard outside the door, and Triplet opened it.
Peg Woffington|Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for triplet

triplet

/ (ˈtrɪplɪt) /

noun

a group or set of three similar things

one of three offspring born at one birth

music a group of three notes played in a time value of two, four, etc

chem a state of a molecule or free radical in which there are two unpaired electrons

Word Origin for triplet

C17: from triple, on the model of doublet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

triplet

Origin of triplet

Words nearby triplet

Words related to triplet

How to use triplet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for triplet

Word Origin for triplet