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Glite Dictionary
🔺 Having three parts 3️⃣ Three times as many 📈 By three times
threefold

threefold

1 3.9
By three times as much
  • adverb
  • /ˈθriːfoʊld/
translation icon : tres veces
  • In Egypt, they doubled, and in Turkey, they increased threefold.
  • increased threefold

Examples

  • Today, the amount of reading in the English curriculum has increased threefold.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Weyandt and DuPaul (2008) reported that the number of students with disabilities entering college has increased threefold in recent years.

    Academic text (2013)

  • According to the report, the number of children attending Jewish high schools has increased threefold in the last four decades.

    Academic text (1998)

  • However, it has been worth the investment as Mac has increased my productivity threefold.

    Blog text (14)

  • Childhood obesity has increased threefold in the United States since 1970.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The indigenous population expanded threefold during the colonial period.

    Academic text (1992)

  • In 1985-86, production increased threefold over previous activity, and during 1987-89 it doubled again.

    Academic text (1993)

  • As a result of the Act, according to some reports, the dollar value of Andean exports to the United States is expected to increase more than threefold over the next decade.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was able to raise the price threefold in a very short time.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The number of new members has increased threefold in the last few years.

Synonyms

three times
vsthreefold
449 1.0

To multiply a number or amount by three

is the single-word form used for the same multiplication
triply
vsthreefold
1 6.1

In a way that is three times as much or in three parts

emphasizes pure multiplication by three rather than being in three parts

Surface Forms

threefold positive

Morphology

threefold = three (transparent) = three + fold

The adverbial use 'by a factor of three' follows directly from the numeral plus productive suffix '-fold' meaning 'times' or 'multiplicatively'.

Etymology

Threefold as an adverb comes from three + fold, again using fold to mean 'times' (think of folding paper to make more layers). So if something rises threefold, it increases 'by three times'.