third

1 of 2

adjective

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

third

2 of 2

noun

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
Adjective
Oregon last year passed a bill opening the door for micro-apartments and Washington state lawmakers this year did the same, starting to clear red tape that for years has limited construction of the tiny units, which are about a third the size of an average studio apartment. Hallie Golden, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 Matt Roy and Jordan Spence also scored for LA, while Rittich was solid in the backup goalie’s seventh career shutout and third in his last 10 starts. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Opdyke, 28, the third ex-Rankin County deputy, was sentenced Wednesday morning to 17.5 years in federal prison. USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024 Bookmakers have Purdue as the third favorite to win the tournament behind the UConn Huskies and the Houston Cougars. Jacob Lev, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 The series marks the third collaboration between Valdez and Imagine. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 Musgrove came close to pulling off another round of stiff-arming disaster in the third by fighting off singles with back-to-back groundouts. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024 Local news outlets reported that police were searching for a third suspect whose whereabouts were unknown. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 According to officials, the women are accused of taking Layman's body out of the home and propping him up in the passenger seat of their car with the help of a third unidentified individual, and driving through a bank drive-thru to withdraw around $900. Landon Mion, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2024
Noun
The third, who lives out of state, later talked to police. Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 Following college, the third of Rick and Kathy Hilton’s children eschewed the fashion and entertainment ambitions of older siblings Paris and Nicky in favor of the finance world, moving to New York to work in private wealth management. Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 Nearly a third of females ages 17–19 have a probable mental disorder, according to the RF. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 26 Feb. 2024 About a third of Vertiv’s revenue came from hyperscale data-center customers – considerably higher than the single-digit percentages at larger rivals such as Eaton and Schneider, noted Obin. Peter Cohan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Activists have until May to collect around 170,000 signatures – 8% of voters in two thirds of six out of Missouri’s eight congressional districts. Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2024 The 2024 Met Gala will be Hemsworth’s first and Bad Bunny’s third. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024 Only about a third of teens use Facebook today, compared to 71% in 2015. Meg Little Reilly, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 About a third of Haldwani’s 220,000 people are Muslim, according to the most recent census from 2011. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 15 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English thridde, thirde, from Old English thridda, thirdda; akin to Latin tertius third, Greek tritos, treis three — more at three

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of third was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near third

Cite this Entry

“Third.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/third. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

third

1 of 2 adjective
1
a
: being number three in a series see number
b
: being next after the second in time, order, or importance
the third taxi in line
2
: being one of three equal parts of something
a third share of the money
third adverb
thirdly adverb

third

2 of 2 noun
1
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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