third

play

adjective \ ˈthərd \

Definition of third

1 a :being next after the second in place or time

the third taxi in line

b :ranking next after the second of a grade or degree in authority or precedence

served as third mate

c :being the forward speed or gear next higher than second especially in a motor vehicle

2 a :being one of three equal parts into which something is divisible

a third share of the money

b :being the last in each group of three in a series

take out every third card

—

third

or thirdly adverb

See third defined for English-language learners

See third defined for kids

Examples of third in a Sentence

We sat in the third row.
the third house on the left
C is the third letter in the alphabet.
That's the third time I've seen him today.
The office is on the third floor.
Do you have a third choice?
a third share in the profits
a third pound of cheese

Recent Examples of third from the Web

Mager, the Chargers’ third-round pick in 2015, started 10 games over the past two seasons, and was penciled into the rotation behind Pro Bowl corners Casey Hayward and Jason Verrett.

— dan woike, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Some Chargers sweating out the end of camp," 22 Aug. 2017
Third parties have sought unsuccessfully to forge negotiations between the administration and its foes.

— Washington Post, "AP Explains: What’s behind Venezuela’s constituent assembly?," 30 July 2017
But when the nine-year veteran returns, will the Packers’ third-round draft pick keep the spot? Daphne High, Alabama:

— AL.com, "NFL training camp brings competition for starting spots," 28 July 2017
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was the overall winner in 2015 while White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier was the overall winner in 2016.

— chris hine, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs' Kris Bryant, White Sox's Avisail Garcia win Heart and Hustle Awards," 18 July 2017
Commerce, Education and the, um, what’s the third one there?

— bess levin, The Hive, "Trump Cabinet Official Proudly Offers Wildly Incorrect Definition of Supply and Demand," 6 July 2017
Jennifer Perkovich, 45, of Joppa ran 7:17.8 for third in over-40.

— bill blewett, The Aegis, "Bel Air's Jeff Burger wins Independence Day 4 Miler," 6 July 2017
Cunanan's third victim was 75-year-old real-estate tycoon Lee Miglin, whose throat Cunanan slashed with a saw blade as well as stabbing him in the chest with pruning shears, and wrapping his head with tan masking tape.

— marlena scott, Teen Vogue, "Gianni Versace's Murder, Explained," 6 July 2017
That's the theory of researchers pursuing a third route toward interpretability.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "How AI detectives are cracking open the black box of deep learning," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'third.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of third

Middle English thridde, thirde, from Old English thridda, thirdda; akin to Latin tertius third, Greek tritos, treis three — more at three

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

third

noun

Definition of third

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

See third defined for English-language learners

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 of third from the Web

Despite Himes’s literary output, wealth and sustained praise eluded him until the final third of his career.

— michael p. jeffries, New York Times, "How Chester B. Himes Became the Rage in Harlem, and Beyond," 24 Aug. 2017
Article III, Section 18 of the state constitution says the Senate may expel one of its members upon a two-thirds vote.

— jason hancock, kansascity, "Missouri lawmaker who wrote about Trump assassination faces new challenges," 22 Aug. 2017
Williams said, referring to his broken fibula at UW that kept him out of the final third of his junior season.

— stefanie loh, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks WR Kasen Williams has another big night, this time against Minnesota," 18 Aug. 2017
The Bears roughly divided quarterback reps in thirds through the first two weeks of training camp.

— brad biggs, chicagotribune.com, "Mitch Trubisky looks good enough in debut to promote to No. 2 — for now," 10 Aug. 2017
Romano got knocked around in the third, although most of the damage came on singles.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "Reds Recap: Offense silent in loss to Pirates," 3 Aug. 2017
That’s significant because consumption accounts for more than two-thirds of gross domestic product, and the revisions may help explain some of the slowdown in first-quarter purchases.

— rich miller, Bloomberg.com, "Americans Aren’t Saving Money Like They Used To," 28 July 2017
Initially, the strategy showed progress, and Citizens shifted more than two thirds of its statewide policies and 61 percent of South Florida policies to other insurers.

— by andrea januta, miamiherald, "Wondering if your homeowner’s insurance will protect you? You’re not alone," 16 July 2017
A study from 2016 determined that of 414 top films and TV shows, only one third of speaking characters were female.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Hasbro Says "Star Wars" Monopoly Won't Include Rey," 12 July 2017

First Known Use of third

14th century

THIRD Defined for English Language Learners

third

play

adjective

Definition of third for English Language Learners

: occupying the number three position in a series
: next to the second in importance or rank
: equal in size, value, amount, etc., to one third of something

third

noun

Definition of third for English Language Learners

: something that is third : the third thing in a series
: one of three equal parts of something
: the third forward gear or speed of a vehicle

THIRD Defined for Kids

third

play

adjective \ ˈthərd \

Definition of third for Students

:coming right after second

third

noun

Definition of third for Students

1 :number three in a series

2 :one of three equal parts

Learn More about third

See words that rhyme with third Spanish Central: Translation of third Nglish: Translation of third for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of third for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about third

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