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third

third

605 1.0
One of three equal parts of something
  • noun
  • /θɜrd/
: tercio
  • Pain may recur in up to one third of those undergoing the procedure.
  • one-third
  • two-thirds
  • a third of respondents

The pound has lost more than a third of its value just since COVID.

Examples

  • I own a third of Murphy's operation.

  • I've spent a third of my life in a hospital bed... with nothing else to do but read.

  • Within the last six months, at least a third of my plans have died.

  • A third of the guests have left already.

  • The pound has lost more than a third of its value just since COVID.

  • That's about the same, nearly a third of all the cases now.

  • And women, our research shows, made-up almost a third of protesters in Egypt.

  • The infant mortality rate fell by a third, and life expectancy inched upward.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Annual OHT surveys are administered to more than one-third of Oregon's 8th- and 11th-grade public school students.

    Academic text (2012)
  • You need to divide the cake into three equal parts, so each person gets a third.

Synonyms

one-third
vsthird
129 1.0

One of three equal parts of a whole

has identical meaning but differs only in written or stylistic form
tercio
vsthird
  • Archaic
9.9

One of three equal parts of something

has identical meaning but differs only in written or stylistic form
tierce
vsthird
  • Archaic
9.9

One of three equal parts of something

has identical meaning but differs only in written or stylistic form

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Complete and not broken or divided

Idioms

9.6

Close to having sex with someone you are dating

Compounds

129 1.0

One of three equal parts of a whole

87 3.9

A person or group outside a deal who may be affected

56 4.8

A political group that opposes the two main parties

third person
  • Specialized
34 2.9

Words that talk about people or things besides the speaker and the listener

34 3.0

About the third year of a school or college course

30 7.2

Less rich countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, now often seen as offensive

19 3.1

A baseball player who stands near third base and catches and throws balls hit there

third wheel
  • Informal
17 6.1

A person who feels left out when with a couple

14 3.1

A player who stands near the third corner and stops balls hit there

12 8.6

A time when the Nazi party ruled Germany under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945

11 4.7

A country with low income and few services like hospitals or clean water

third-degree burn
  • Specialized
11 4.8

A very serious injury that destroys all skin layers can cause numbness and needs medical treatment

third trimester
  • Specialized
11 3.5

A period of pregnancy from week 28 until the baby is born

third degree
  • Informal
11 6.4

Very hard questioning that tries to get information by pressure

8 3.0

A white square on the field at the third corner that a runner must touch to score

third class
  • Archaic
5 3.9

The cheapest part of a ship or train with basic seats and little comfort

third rail
  • Specialized
4 7.7

An extra rail beside train tracks that provides electricity to trains

Coming third in a competition or race

Depth that makes objects look solid instead of flat

Newton's third law
  • Specialized
1 4.1

When one object pushes another, the other object pushes back equally

1 7.4

Information told by someone who heard it from someone else

1 5.7

A lower floor below the ship's main level where sailors sleep or store cargo

1 3.4

A car setting that gives more speed than second but more power than higher gears

third power
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A number multiplied by itself twice

1 3.9

Every force causes an equal force in the opposite direction

third eyelid
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A thin clear layer that slides across the eye to protect it

third law of motion
  • Specialized
1 4.2

Every push on an object causes an equal push back in the opposite direction

third ventricle
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A narrow space in the middle of the brain that holds fluid and connects to another brain cavity below

third-rate hotel
  • Informal
1 3.1

A hotel with poor rooms and bad service

Euclid's third axiom
  • Specialized
9.9

A rule that you can draw a circle of any size around any point

Kepler's third law
  • Specialized
9.0

A planet's orbit time squared increases with its average distance from the Sun cubed

A major 1761 battle near Panipat where Ahmad Shah Abdali beat the Marathas

A major World War I battle in 1917 at Passchendaele known for mud and many deaths

Major World War I battle in May 1918 near the Aisne River when German troops made a large attack

A woman who plays third base for a baseball team

third class
  • Archaic
5.3

Mail sent at a lower price, usually for advertising flyers

6.5

A nickname for the Great Lakes region around Lake Michigan, seen as a coast like the East or West coast

A short letter in the New Testament addressed to Gaius and linked to John the Apostle

third estate
  • Archaic
9.9

Common people in France who are not nobles or priests before the French Revolution

third eye
  • Specialized
9.8

A small part on top of the head in some reptiles that senses changes in light

A church council in 680 and 681 that says Christ has a divine will and a human will

third cranial nerve
  • Specialized
6.8

A nerve that moves most eye muscles and controls pupil size

A military expedition from 1189 to 1192 to try to retake Jerusalem from Muslim forces

third house
  • Jargon
9.1

A group that tries to influence politicians and government decisions, often by lobbying

A church meeting in 1179 at the Lateran in Rome that condemned some religious groups and made church reforms

7.4

A law saying the disorder of a perfect crystal goes to zero at absolute zero

third sacker
  • Jargon
7.9

A baseball player who defends third base

2.8

Printed items sent by post at a lower cost and slower delivery

third stomach
  • Specialized
9.1

A part of a cow's or sheep's stomach that takes in water and nutrients from food

A player who is third in line to replace other players and rarely plays

third tonsil
  • Specialized
7.5

A soft lump of tissue at the back of the nose that can block breathing

4.6

Work or help that is very low quality and disappointing

third-rater
  • Informal
9.2

A person or thing of low quality that people think is not good

The quality of having three dimensions like length, width, and depth

How Much

all
∞ 1.0
two-thirds
182 1.6
half
4 1.0
third
605 1.0
one-quarter
29 1.0
none
1.0

Surface Forms

third singular
thirds plural

Morphology

third = three (transparent) = three + rd

Denotes one of three equal parts; predictable from the numeral 'three' and ordinal/partitive usage.

Etymology

Third comes from the same old root as three, meaning 'three'. A 'third' is one of three equal parts, so the word simply means one part out of three.