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

see also:

three sheets in the wind

Examples of three in a Sentence

“What time is it?” “It's three.”

I leave each day at three.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hardaway scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting on threes in 22 minutes. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026

The country buffet is a very specific genre of restaurant, with origins in the cafeterias and meat-and-threes of the South. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

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 sisters
• 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