trident

noun

Definition of trident

1 :a 3-pronged spear serving in classical mythology as the attribute of a sea god (such as Neptune)

2 :a 3-pronged spear (as for fishing)

See trident defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of trident from the Web

My cabdriver, Roshan, led me past an entrance guarded indomitably by Shiva and his colossal trident to approach Ganga Talao, Mauritius’s answer to India’s sacred Ganges River.

— sarah khan, New York Times, "In Mauritius, Secluded Beaches, Verdant Hills and Harmony," 16 Aug. 2017
But what is the threat of prosecution against the imperative of a president who explicitly sets his political appointees against each other and appears to enjoy watching them use leaks and the media like ancient gladiators used the rope and trident?

— heather hurlburt, Fortune, "Sorry, Jeff Sessions, but the ‘Culture of Leaks’ Isn’t Ending Anytime Soon," 4 Aug. 2017
Barbados Tridents will play Jamaica Tallawahs at 3 p.m. the same day.

— arun sivasankaran, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Lauderhill readies for Hero CPL 2017," 21 July 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell no Tales PG-13 In this fifth installment, Captain Jack takes his men on a search for Poseidon’s trident.

— guy hanford, Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers: 'War for the Planet of the Apes' opens Friday," 12 July 2017
BOX OFFICE LEADERS Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell no Tales PG-13 In this 5th installment, Captain Jack takes his men on a search for Poseidon’s tridentGuardians of the Galaxy Vol.

— guy hanford, Ramona Sentinel, "Flickers: What's at the movies?," 1 June 2017
Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon.

— the tylt, AL.com, "Is the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise played out?," 26 May 2017
The plot, frankly, is largely beside the point, with the trident serving roughly the same purpose as what Hitchcock called the MacGuffin -- any priceless artifact to set the chase in motion.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Pirates of the Caribbean' tries to turn back time," 25 May 2017
Henry teams up with Carina, who is certain that her journal will lead to the lost and legendary trident of Poseidon.

— julie washington, cleveland.com, "Johnny Depp stars in ho-hum 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' (review, photos, video)," 24 May 2017

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

Did You Know?

A trident has three prongs or teeth, as the root dent, "tooth", tells us. The trident has long been used to spear fish in different parts of the world, so there's no mystery about why the Greek sea god Poseidon and his Roman counterpart Neptune both carry a trident as their symbol. In some gladiator exhibitions in ancient Rome, one gladiator, called a retiarius ("net man"), would be equipped as though he were a fisherman, with a weighted net and a trident; with his net he would snare his sword-wielding opponent, and with his trident he would spear his helpless foe.