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

/ θriː /

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 called: three o'clock. three hours after noon or midnight

determiner

1. 1. amounting to three

      three ships

   2. ( as pronoun )

      three were killed

Word History and Origins

Origin of three¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thrēo, thrīo, feminine and neuter of thrī(e); cognate with Dutch drie, German drei, Old Norse thrīr, Gothic threis, Greek treîs, Latin trēs “three,” ter “thrice,” Irish trí, Old Church Slavonic tri, Sanskrit trī, tráyas

Word History and Origins

Origin of three¹

Old English thrēo; related to Old Norse thrīr, Old High German drī, Latin trēs, Greek treis

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. three sheets in the wind. sheet.

Example Sentences

The base typically plays host to 19,000 personnel and includes an airfield, deep-water port, and more across three installations along the Pacific Coast and southeast of Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times

He sent the boys of Troop 26 on to their next campsite with three of the leaders.

From Los Angeles Times

He also served bans for three separate biting incidents when playing for Ajax, Liverpool and Uruguay.

From BBC

The three at the back in possession is used as a solution to build up around certain opposition shapes, with the additional player providing an extra passing option.

From BBC

“I believed that he was going to be OK,” the 47-year-old mother of three told “Today” co-host and friend Savannah Guthrie.

From Los Angeles Times