third party
56
4.8
- noun
- /θɜrd ˈpɑrti/
- In the upcoming election, many voters are considering supporting a third party to challenge the dominance of the major candidates.
Examples
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The introduction of a third party could reshape the political landscape by offering new ideas and policies.
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Johnson is, like most third-party candidates in the past, just a blip in the polls.
Blog text (4) -
Note that it is not necessary for the third party to obtain the same result as the original study:
Academic text (2006) -
Additional comments on the role of third parties in ensuring compliance will be provided later in the paper.
Academic text (1993) -
There's never been a successful third party political culture take hold in this country without one really big issue to drive it.
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And So what is in the making is a very definitive possibility of a third party candidate or a third candidate, third option.
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But then you would say, "Voting for a third-party candidate is throwing away your vote."
Blog text (2) -
I believe Paul when he says that he will not consider any third-party run for the WH.
Blog text (4) -
Although Australian politics is dominated by the Liberal (conservative) and Labor parties, a third party traditionally has represented rural interests.
Academic text (1990) -
Historically, a strong third party has emerged in times of public discontent with the existing political system.
How Large
∞
3.2
56
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person or group besides the two primarily involved' is directly and compositionally derived from 'third' (an additional/ordinal) plus 'party' (a participant or side in a matter). This adjectival+noun combination follows a common and cross-linguistic pattern in legal/transactional contexts, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer the MWE.
Etymology
Third party comes from counting in politics: when two big 'parties' are in charge, a smaller third party is the next group that stands apart from them. So it means a political group outside the two main parties.