three

American  

[three] / θri /

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.

idioms

1. three sheets in the wind. sheet.

three British  

/ θriː /

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 called: three o'clock.  three hours after noon or midnight

---

determiner

1. 1. amounting to three

      three ships

   2. ( as pronoun )

      three were killed

Etymology

Origin of three

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thrēo, thrīo, feminine and neuter of thrī(e); cognate with Dutch drie, German drei, Old Norse thrīr, Gothic threis, Greek treîs, Latin trēs “three,” ter “thrice,” Irish trí, Old Church Slavonic tri, Sanskrit trī, tráyas

Example Sentences

To configure an ExpressVPN connection on your router, you have three options:

From Salon

Elviena le Roux, a mother of three, told the BBC she doesn't believe having the military in the area will help, saying it will only "make the violence worse".

From BBC

He joined the party at university and married one of its rising stars in Judit Varga, with whom he had three children.

From BBC

A long-term investor considering Nike might want to commit for at least three years, and there are some interesting numbers to back that play.

From MarketWatch

Millions of commuters are painfully aware that gas prices just hit $4 a gallon on average for the first time in more than three years.

From MarketWatch