third

adjective \ ˈthərd \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

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

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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

Donte Clark sank TSU’s third consecutive 3-pointer and buried a free throw to convert the four-point play a minute later.

— Houston Chronicle, "Texas Southern keeps NCAA Tournament dreams alive with win over Alabama State," 7 Mar. 2018
Fleener caught 22 passes total on 2017 and 14 third-down balls in his two years combined in New Orleans.

— larry holder, NOLA.com, "A Jimmy Graham-Saints reunion an idea worth visiting," 6 Mar. 2018
Moustakas moved Hosmer to third with a groundout, and Perez bounced a ball to third baseman David Wright, who threw to Duda for the out at first.

— tyler kepner, New York Times, "After Reviving the Royals, Hosmer and Cain Try to Spark Other Teams," 5 Mar. 2018
More: Sure enough, the Eagles held Atlanta to 4-for-13 on third-down conversions, outgained them on the ground and were superior on special teams in a 15-10 win.

— mark spezia, Detroit Free Press, "Okemos native Cynthia Frelund blazes trail in NFL's analytics game," 3 Feb. 2018
The Titans were 19th, with 20.6 points per game, and scored 19 in the second half of the wild-card game against Sutton’s group, which allowed eight conversions on 13 third downs.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Fixing the Chiefs in 5 steps | The Kansas City Star," 18 Jan. 2018
A few third-down misfires for Alabama's defense gave Georgia life in the backend of the quarter.

— michael casagrande, AL.com, "Reviewing Alabama's incredible championship comeback, one quarter at a time," 9 Jan. 2018
At halftime, Seattle had generated 44 offensive yards was averaging 1.8 yards per play, and had converted only one of five third downs.

— stefanie loh, The Seattle Times, "Analysis: Three thoughts from the Seahawks’ win over the Cowboys to keep playoff hopes alive," 24 Dec. 2017
The central bank last raised its benchmark interest rate in January, to 1.25%, its third increase since mid-2017.

— kim mackrael, WSJ, "Canada Inflation Rate Accelerated in February to 2.2%," 23 Mar. 2018

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

Almost-complete results showed by the following morning that Fidesz was likely to have won a two-thirds supermajority in Parliament, with 133 of 199 seats, enough to alter the constitution.

— The Economist, "Hungary’s illiberal prime minister, Viktor Orban, wins a landslide," 9 Apr. 2018
Fidesz, in a coalition with the smaller Christian Democratic People's Party, has held a two-thirds supermajority in Parliament for the past eight years, allowing it to change the constitution without a referendum.

— darran simon, lonzo cook and hilary clarke, CNN, "Hungary's Euroskeptic leader Viktor Orban storms to victory," 9 Apr. 2018
Also, the Senate may vote to expel Uresti with a two-thirds vote.

— jasper scherer, San Antonio Express-News, "Gallego and Gutierrez gunning for Uresti’s state Senate seat," 7 Apr. 2018
The town’s hockey arena has a capacity for 1,772, nearly a third of the town’s population of 5,800.

— jacquie mcnish, WSJ, "Fifteen Killed as Junior Hockey Team’s Bus Crashes in Canada," 7 Apr. 2018
Ultimately about 9,000 companies representing 15 million employees will be forced to report, although only about two-thirds had done so by March 28.

— claire suddath, Bloomberg.com, "New Numbers Show the Gender Pay Gap Is Real," 29 Mar. 2018
Abiy Ahmed, who is expected to become the country’s next prime minister, would be the first member of the Oromo ethnic group, which makes up a third of Ethiopia’s population, to lead the government.

— hadra ahmed, New York Times, "Ethiopia Seeks Calm With a New Leader," 28 Mar. 2018
That would require both houses of Congress proposing the amendment with a two-thirds vote, or two thirds of state legislatures calling on Congress to hold a constitutional convention.

— alex pappas, Fox News, "Retired Supreme Court Justice Stevens says Second Amendment should be repealed," 27 Mar. 2018
Pamplona has purchased a two-thirds stake in the business, while BlackRock has bought the remainder, a person familiar with the terms of the deal told Fortune.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "Private Equity Giants Buy Cybersecurity Firm for $400 Million," 26 Feb. 2018