We waited three months before going back to see the specialist.
three in British English
(θriː)
noun
1.
the cardinal number that is the sum of two and one and is a prime number
See also number (sense 1)
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 playingcard with three symbols on it
5. Also called: three o'clock
three hours after noon or midnight
determiner
6.
a.
amounting to three
three ships
b.
(as pronoun)
three were killed
▶ Related adjectives: , , , ▶ Related prefixes: , ternary, tertiary, treble, triple, tri-, ter-
Word origin
Old English thrēo; related to Old Norse thrīr, Old High German drī, Latin trēs, Greek treis
three in American English
(θri)
adjective
1.
totaling one more than two
noun
2.
the cardinal number between two and four; 3; III
3.
any group of three people or things
4.
something numbered three or having three units, as a playing card, domino, face of a die, etc.
5. Basketball
three-pointer
Word origin
ME < OE threo, thrie, akin to Ger drei < IE base *trei- > L tres, Gr treis, Sans tri
More idioms containing
three
three strikes against someone or something
three strikes and you're out
Examples of 'three' in a sentence
three
There are three main theories about why this is.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The question is asking how many different numbers contain at least one three.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They remain in the bottom three after a third game without a goal.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Who is the only one to finish in the top three?
The Sun (2016)
The guys have been back for three weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those planted within the past two or three years should be relatively easy to lift and move.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He won it three times in two different spells.
The Sun (2016)
Polls showed that three quarters of voters thought that the party was divided.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This is hard work, playing three games in one day is tough.
The Sun (2016)
What you sacrifice is being able to drink on one in three outings.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The three main leaders set out clearly where they stand on tax.
The Sun (2014)
We are out of the bottom three.
The Sun (2014)
Is it only money that is the difference with the other top three?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We decided to go with number three.
Kiam, Victor Going For It!: How to Succeed As an Entrepreneur (1986)
We met back in three or four minutes.
Christianity Today (2000)
Oxford have lost their past three matches.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He would be asleep within two of three minutes and then dead probably within an hour.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Man has notched up three quarters of sales growth so is not simply buying in assets.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Lunch is one of our three main meals too.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The main characters in three of her eight tales are adolescents.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This was their fourth defeat in a row and leaves them mired in the bottom three.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Solve the puzzle and text in the numbers in the three shaded boxes.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Germany hit three past them and missed a penalty.
The Sun (2016)
After two or three years he had saved up enough money to buy a house.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Add three quarters into the flour mixture and stir quickly with a butter knife.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The future business partners became friends at the age of three.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The answers varied from about a tenth of a large page to a thin line three inches long.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Last week three of his top staff departed after a radical management shake-up.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In the last three lines, the poet calms down.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Two successive wins have seen the team move out of the bottom three to 13th spot.
The Sun (2008)
The reasons why none of the three main parties deserves to govern Britain for the next five years are depressingly familiar.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
three
British English: three /θriː/ NUMBER
Three is the number 3.
We waited three months before going back.
American English: three
Arabic: ثَلاثَة
Brazilian Portuguese: três
Chinese: 三
Croatian: tri
Czech: tři
Danish: tre
Dutch: drie
European Spanish: tres
Finnish: kolme
French: trois
German: drei
Greek: τρία
Italian: tre
Japanese: 三
Korean: 3
Norwegian: tre
Polish: trzy
European Portuguese: três
Romanian: trei
Russian: три
Latin American Spanish: tres
Swedish: tre
Thai: สาม
Turkish: üç
Ukrainian: три
Vietnamese: ba số
All related terms of 'three'
three-D
a three-dimensional effect
Big Three
business → another name for Big Four
three ply
three-stranded knitting wool
three Rs
When talking about children's education , the three Rs are the basic skills of reading , writing , and arithmetic .
three-way
providing connections to three routes from a central point
page three
a feature formerly found on the third page of the British tabloid newspaper The Sun newspaper, consisting of a photograph of a female model with naked breasts
three-color
designating or of a full-color printing process using three separate plates, each reproducing one primary color
three-door
a car with three doors : one to the driver's seat, one to the passenger's seat, and one to the boot or trunk ; hatchback
three-four
designating or of a musical rhythm with three quarter notes to a measure
three-line
→ a shortened form of three-line whip
three-phase
(of an electrical system, circuit , or device) having, generating , or using three alternating voltages of the same frequency , displaced in phase by 120°
three-piece
A three-piece suit is a set of three pieces of matching clothing , usually a man's jacket , waistcoat , and trousers .
three-sided
having three sides
thirty-three
→ a former name for LP 1
three cheers
three shouts of hurrah given in unison by a group to honour someone or celebrate something
three-colour
of, relating to, or comprising a colour print or a photomechanical process in which a picture is reproduced by superimposing three prints from half-tone plates in inks corresponding to the three primary colours
three-decker
anything having three levels or layers
three-fourths
In American English , people sometimes use three-fourths to mean → three-quarters .
three-gaited
(of a horse) having the three usual paces , the walk, trot , and canter
three-legged
(of a piece of furniture ) having three legs or supports
three o'clock
→ another name for three (sense 5 )
three-pointer
a shot worth three points from beyond a line ( three point line ) that forms a semicircle around each basket
three-quarter
You can use three-quarter to describe something which is three fourths of the usual size or three fourths of a standard measurement .
Three Rivers
a port in E Canada , in Quebec on the St Lawrence River: one of the world's largest centres of newsprint production . Pop: 46 264 (2001)
three-square
having a cross section that is an equilateral triangle
three-wheeler
A three-wheeler is a bicycle or car with three wheels.
the three Rs
the three skills regarded as the fundamentals of education ; reading , writing, and arithmetic
three-cornered
If you describe something such as a disagreement , competition , or game as three-cornered , you mean that it involves three people, groups, or teams.
three quarters
Three-quarters is an amount that is three out of four equal parts of something.
Group of Three
Japan , US, and Germany (formerly West Germany), regarded as the largest industrialized nations
reel of three
(in Scottish country dancing ) a figure-of-eight movement danced by three people
rule of three
a mathematical rule asserting that the value of one unknown quantity in a proportion is found by multiplying the denominator of each ratio by the numerator of the other
the three magi
the wise men from the East who came to do homage to the infant Jesus ( Matthew 2:1–12) and traditionally called Caspar , Melchior , and Balthazar
three-act play
a dramatic production such as play or film which is divided into three acts or sections
three-base hit
a hit on which the batter reaches third base
three-dimensional
A three-dimensional object is solid rather than flat , because it can be measured in three different directions , usually the height , length , and width . The abbreviation 3-D can also be used.
three-pin plug
an electrical plug with three pins or metal projections to fit into a socket
the three Horatii
three Roman brothers who were victorious against the three Curiatii in single combat to secure victory in the war with Alba Longa
three-card monte
a swindling game in which a certain card, after being shown , is palmed and then ostensibly made one of three cards placed face down and shifted about, with the victim challenged to bet on its location
three-card trick
a game in which players bet on which of three inverted playing cards is the queen
three-cornered hat
a triangular shaped hat which was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries; its turned up brim formed a gutter for catching rain
three-course meal
A three-course meal is a meal that consists of three parts served one after the other.
three-day event
the sport of taking part in equestrian competitions (esp three-day events ), usually consisting of three sections: dressage , cross-country riding , and showjumping
three-day eventer
a rider or horse that takes part in three-day eventing
three-day eventing
participation in a three day equestrian competition consisting of dressage , cross-country jumping , and stadium jumping
three-day measles
a mild contagious viral disease, somewhat similar to measles , characterized by cough , sore throat , skin rash , and occasionally vomiting . It can cause congenital defects if caught during the first three months of pregnancy
three-four time
a form of simple triple time in which there are three crotchet beats to the bar, indicated by the time signature 3 4
three jaw chuck
a cut of beef extending from the neck to the shoulder blade
three-legged race
a race in which pairs of competitors run with their adjacent legs tied together
three-line whip
A three-line whip is a situation where the MPs in a political party are ordered to attend parliament and vote in a particular way on a particular issue .
Chinese translation of 'three'
three
(θriː)
num
三 (sān)
see also
five
All related terms of 'three'
three-quarters
四分之三 sì fēn zhī sān
three-dimensional
( object ) 三维(維)的 sānwéi de
at five of three
3点(點)差5分 sān diǎn chà wǔ fēn
three of us went
我们(們)3人去了 wǒmen sān rén qù le
three-piece suite
三件套沙发(發) sān jiàn tào shāfā
for three/four hours
三/四个(個)小时(時) sān/sì gè xiǎoshí ⇒ They slept for two hours. → 他们睡了两个小时。 Tāmen shuìle liǎng gè xiǎoshí.