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View synonyms for

three

[ three ]

noun

  1. a cardinal number, 2 plus 1.
  2. a symbol for this number, as 3 or III.
  3. a set of this many persons or things.
  4. a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with three pips.


adjective

  1. amounting to three in number.

three

/ θː /

noun

  1. the cardinal number that is the sum of two and one and is a prime number See also number
  2. a numeral, 3, III, (iii), representing this number
  3. the amount or quantity that is one greater than two
  4. something representing, represented by, or consisting of three units such as a playing card with three symbols on it
  5. Also calledthree o'clock three hours after noon or midnight
“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

determiner

    1. amounting to three

      three ships

    2. ( as pronoun )

      three were killed

“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of three1

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thrēo, thrīo, feminine and neuter of ٳī(); cognate with Dutch drie, German drei, Old Norse ٳī, Gothic threis, Greek ٰî, Latin ٰŧ “t,” ter “t,” Irish ٰí, Old Church Slavonic tri, Sanskrit trī, tráyas
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Word History and Origins

Origin of three1

Old English ٳŧ; related to Old Norse ٳī, Old High German ī, Latin ٰŧ, Greek treis
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. three sheets in the wind. sheet 2( def 3 ).
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"One doctor takes their own life every three weeks, and a nurse every week," he said.

From

Expectations are growing that the Bank of England could cut interest rates three more times this year because of the global fallout from US trade tariffs.

From

She is charged with the murder of three relatives and the attempted murder of another, with the case centring on a beef wellington lunch at her house in July 2023.

From

However the lead lasted less than three minutes before Kane tied it on a wrist shot from the high slot.

From

The company's latest financial figures showed that global sales fell by 1% in the three months to the end of March, the fifth quarterly decline in a row.

From

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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.

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