triplet
Americannoun
-
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.
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of triplet
Explanation
When a mammal gives birth to three offspring at the same time, each is a triplet. If you're a triplet, you've got at least two siblings right from the moment you're born. While some triplets are identical (three fetuses from a single egg), it's more likely for triplets to be fraternal (from three separate eggs). In humans, twins are more common than triplets, and multiple births of more than three are even more rare. Triplet can also mean another group of three, like three lines of poetry or three notes of music.
Vocabulary lists containing triplet
It's All in the Family
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Literary Terms, Part I
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
tri-
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Triplet superconductors are different because their superconducting particles do carry spin.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2026
Explain how these studies provided evidence to support the Triplet Code.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Tuesday, a low-flying helicopter team spotted Compean in the unforgiving terrain between Triplet Rocks and the east bump of Twin Peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to Sgt.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2021
A full-page newspaper ad in 1954 announced the Zavada quads as the feature attraction of the Wilkens Amateur Hour’s All-Twin and Triplet Show on KQV and WDTV.
From Washington Times • Feb. 17, 2018
This was the first time Triplet had ever answered a foe.
From Peg Woffington by Reade, Charles
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.
