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
adverb
or thirdly
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
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
Adjective
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
Noun
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
Issy Ronald, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Plaschke, 65, is the third Times journalist to win the top prize, following legendary columnist Jim Murray (1982) and former sports editor Bill Dwyre (1996).
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The unit faced just two third downs and converted both.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 14 Apr. 2024
She was terminated March 25, the day of the third violation, and told not to return the next day.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
The 45-year-old country music star appeared for the third time as musical guest alongside host Ryan Gosling during the iconic sketch comedy show on April 13.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 14 Apr. 2024
After its commanders were killed, Iran and its allies suggested Tehran would respond directly — altering what is often described as a shadow war between Iran and Israel, because the conflict largely occurs in third countries or through proxies.
—Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Woods withdrew last year during the third round of the tournament after experiencing serious pain in his foot.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
The exit is the third of the season; Alberto Rosende, who played Blake Gallo for 80 episodes, left after the season premiere; and Kara Killmer made her final appearance in episode six after portraying Sylvie Brett for 199 episodes.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024
Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
The southern third of the state, including Milwaukee County and surrounding counties, are under a high danger level.
—Journal Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2024
Three juries with all white men, in a state where half the people are women, and a third of the population was Black.
—John J. Lennon, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
In the third, Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer, his fifth homer of the season.
—Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 13 Apr. 2024
The contracts will cover more than 33,000 city workers, about a third of them part-time employees.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Two of the wholesale chickens were bought just two hours before the taste test, while the third was bought four hours in advance.
—Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Something led to the breakup with his first wife, and his second, and his third, which then led him to his fourth, and to their breakup, and to this piece of mail that ended up on Frank’s website.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Suspending younger kids can be especially damaging At Johnsburg Elementary School, which serves about 350 third through fifth grade students on the northern outskirts of Chicago’s suburbs, administrators are trying to limit the use of suspensions.
—Ariel Gilreath, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
And this edition looks set to add to that list as a grandstand final day beckons with five players separated by just four shots at the top of the leaderboard after all of them displayed moments of fragility in the attritional third round.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Plaschke, 65, is the third Times journalist to win the top prize, following legendary columnist Jim Murray (1982) and former sports editor Bill Dwyre (1996).
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The unit faced just two third downs and converted both.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 14 Apr. 2024
She was terminated March 25, the day of the third violation, and told not to return the next day.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
The 45-year-old country music star appeared for the third time as musical guest alongside host Ryan Gosling during the iconic sketch comedy show on April 13.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 14 Apr. 2024
After its commanders were killed, Iran and its allies suggested Tehran would respond directly — altering what is often described as a shadow war between Iran and Israel, because the conflict largely occurs in third countries or through proxies.
—Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Woods withdrew last year during the third round of the tournament after experiencing serious pain in his foot.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
The exit is the third of the season; Alberto Rosende, who played Blake Gallo for 80 episodes, left after the season premiere; and Kara Killmer made her final appearance in episode six after portraying Sylvie Brett for 199 episodes.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
Eyelines are typically framed around the upper third of the display in movies and shows.
—Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
The southern third of the state, including Milwaukee County and surrounding counties, are under a high danger level.
—Journal Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2024
Three juries with all white men, in a state where half the people are women, and a third of the population was Black.
—John J. Lennon, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
In the third, Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer, his fifth homer of the season.
—Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 13 Apr. 2024
The contracts will cover more than 33,000 city workers, about a third of them part-time employees.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Two of the wholesale chickens were bought just two hours before the taste test, while the third was bought four hours in advance.
—Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Something led to the breakup with his first wife, and his second, and his third, which then led him to his fourth, and to their breakup, and to this piece of mail that ended up on Frank’s website.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Suspending younger kids can be especially damaging At Johnsburg Elementary School, which serves about 350 third through fifth grade students on the northern outskirts of Chicago’s suburbs, administrators are trying to limit the use of suspensions.
—Ariel Gilreath, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'third.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near third
Cite this Entry
“Third.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/third. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
third
2 of 2 noun1
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
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