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

Representatives from the three countries held three rounds of trilateral negotiations early this year, twice in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and once in Geneva, but the talks achieved no significant breakthroughs. — Hanna Arhirova, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026

That agreement was signed at a trilateral meeting later Tuesday morning. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026

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

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