trilateral

adjective

tri·​lat·​er·​al (ˌ)trī-ˈla-tə-rəl 

-ˈla-trəl

: having three sides or parties

trilateral business ventures

trilateral discussions

Examples of trilateral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The firing drill, which included North Korea’s first public ballistic missile launches in about three weeks, came a day after the United States, South Korea and Japan wrapped up a trilateral military exercise that North Korea views as a provocation. — ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026

Hezbollah, which was not party to the trilateral agreement, has not disarmed and has continued to carry out occasional attacks on Israeli soldiers, largely making the agreement moot. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026

Kushner said the two envoys hoped to revive trilateral talks involving Russia and Ukraine directly, a format last used roughly six months earlier, and said that Washington remained in near-daily contact with Ukrainian officials even between visits. — Samya Kullab, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

Kushner said the two envoys hoped to revive trilateral talks involving Russia and Ukraine directly, a format last used roughly six months earlier, and said that Washington remained in near-daily contact with Ukrainian officials between visits. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin trilaterus, from tri- + later-, latus side

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trilateral

• bilateral
• collateral
• anterolateral
• posterolateral
• basolateral
• contralateral
• dorsolateral
• equilateral
• ipsilateral
• multilateral
• quadrilateral
• unilateral

Kids Definition

trilateral

adjective

tri·​lat·​er·​al (ˈ)trī-ˈlat-ə-rəl 

-ˈla-trəl

: having three sides