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View synonyms for

three

[ three ]

noun

  1. a cardinal number, 2 plus 1.
  2. a symbol for this number, as 3 or III.
  3. a set of this many persons or things.
  4. a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with three pips.


adjective

  1. amounting to three in number.

three

/ θː /

noun

  1. the cardinal number that is the sum of two and one and is a prime number See also number
  2. a numeral, 3, III, (iii), representing this number
  3. the amount or quantity that is one greater than two
  4. something representing, represented by, or consisting of three units such as a playing card with three symbols on it
  5. Also calledthree o'clock three hours after noon or midnight
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

determiner

    1. amounting to three

      three ships

    2. ( as pronoun )

      three were killed

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of three1

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thrēo, thrīo, feminine and neuter of ٳī(); cognate with Dutch drie, German drei, Old Norse ٳī, Gothic threis, Greek ٰî, Latin ٰŧ “t,” ter “t,” Irish ٰí, Old Church Slavonic tri, Sanskrit trī, tráyas
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Word History and Origins

Origin of three1

Old English ٳŧ; related to Old Norse ٳī, Old High German ī, Latin ٰŧ, Greek treis
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. three sheets in the wind. sheet 2( def 3 ).
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And this year he has expanded it to three days, with the first day on 2 May featuring bands including James and Starsailor.

From

After graduating three years later, he soon received his first parts in the West End, appearing with Dame Margaret Rutherford and Peggy Mount in the play Farewell, Farewell, Eugene.

From

They see success in these elections as "two or three more steps up the staircase" towards power, says a senior figure.

From

Southern Pacific and three other companies ultimately paid $40 million in compensation for the spill, most of which went to the state to cover the costs of cleanup and restoration.

From

Air cargo takes two to three days from Asia, he said, while sea shipping takes three to seven weeks.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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