third

noun

1

a

: one that is number three in a series see Table of Numbers

b

: one that is next after second in rank, position, authority, or precedence

the third in line

2

: one of three equal parts of something

a third of the pie

3

: third base

4

: the third forward gear or speed especially of a motor vehicle

5

a

: the musical interval embracing three diatonic degrees

b

: a tone at this interval

specifically : mediant

c

: the harmonic combination of two tones a third apart

6

thirds plural : merchandise whose quality falls below the manufacturer's standard for seconds

Examples of third in a Sentence

The win was his third of the year.

a third of the pie

Rent costs two-thirds of my paycheck.

She divided the cookie into thirds.

Recent Examples on the Web

With seven minutes left in the third, Clark made a 25-foot jump shot, all while Cassandre Prosper interfered with her ability to land. —Ian Miller, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

In 2025, more than a third of S&P 500 executives received security perks, with the median value more than doubling to $130,000 since 2021, according to Equilar data. —Bloomberg, Oc Register, 8 June 2026

Roughly a third of its students enter a job in the child-care industry, Johnson said. —Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026

The Sparks won the third by a 23-12 margin and took a 64-55 lead into the fourth. —John Davis, Daily News, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing third

• a poor second/third/fourth
• give you the third degree
• petty officer third class
• safe third country agreement
• the third time is the charm
• third base
• third class
• third-degree
• third-degree burn
• third-degree murder
• third dimension
• third estate
• third force
• third house
• third market
• third order
• third party
• third person
• third rail
• third-rate
• third reading
• third-stream
• third time lucky
• third ventricle
• third world

Rhymes for third

• blurred
• burd
• curd
• curred
• furred
• gerd
• gird
• herd
• kurd
• nerd
• purred
• sherd

Kids Definition

third

1 of 2 adjective

ˈthərd 

1

a

: being number three in a series see number

b

: being next after the second in time, order, or importance

the third taxi in line

2

: being one of three equal parts of something

a third share of the money

third adverb

thirdly adverb

third

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: one that is number three in a series see number

b

: one next after a second in time, order, or importance

the third in line

2

: one of three equal parts of something

a third of the pie

3

: the difference in pitch between the first tone and the third tone of a scale

4

: the third forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle

5

: third base