three

noun

ˈthrē 

1

: a number that is one more than 2 see Table of Numbers

2

: the third in a set or series

the three of hearts

3

a

: something having three units or members

b

: three-pointer

three adjective

three pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of three in a Sentence

“What time is it?” “It's three.”

I leave each day at three.

Recent Examples on the Web

Curry also holds the all-time record for regular-season threes made with 4,058 and counting. —Kevin Sabet, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025

The ability to take (and make) enough threes to force defenses to respect you from beyond the arc. —Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

And since good things can come in threes, Shaw topped off the night with an eighth-inning solo home run, which turned out to be the game-winner in a 4-3 victory over the first-place Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in front of a Wrigley Field crowd of 36,327. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025

Thompson, 24, was named third-team All G-League last season after averaging 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 39 percent on threes in 31 games. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from three, adjective, from Old English thrīe (masculine), thrēo (feminine & neuter); akin to Old High German drī three, Latin tres, Greek treis

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing three

• best (out) of three/five/seven
• the three R's
• thirty-three
• three-bagger
• three-ball
• three-card monte
• three cheers for
• three-color
• three-cornered
• three-decker
• three-dimensional
• three-gaited
• three-handed
• three-legged
• three-legged race
• three-mile limit
• three of a kind
• three-peat
• three-phase
• three-piece
• three-piece suit
• three-piece suite
• three-ply
• three-pointer
• three-point landing
• three-point line
• three-point turn
• three-quarter
• three-quarter-bound
• three-quarters
• three-ring circus
• three R's
• three sheets in the wind
• three sheets to the wind
• three-spined stickleback
• three-toed sloth
• three-way
• three-wheeler
• two's company, three's a crowd

Rhymes for three

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he

Kids Definition

three

noun

ˈthrē 

1

: a number that is one more than 2 see number

2

: the third in a set or series

the three of hearts

3

a

: something having three units or members

b

: three-pointer

three adjective or pronoun