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third Definition

third (t̸hʉrd)

adjective

  1. preceded by two others in a series; 3d or 3rd
  2. next below the second in rank, power, value, merit, excellence, etc.
  3. designating any of the three equal parts of something

Etymology: ME thirde, altered by metathesis < thridde < OE thridda < IE *tṛtiyo- (< base *trei-, three) > L tertius, Gr tritos

adverb

in the third place, rank, group, etc.

noun

  1. the one following the second
  2. any person, thing, class, place, etc. that is third
  3. any of the three equal parts of something;
  4. the third forward gear of a transmission: it provides more speed but less torque than second
  5. Baseball third base
  6. Music
    1. the third tone of an ascending diatonic scale, or a tone two degrees above or below any given tone in such a scale; mediant
    2. the interval between two such tones, or a combination of them

third Synonyms

third

modif.

part, after the second, next but one; see three.

third Usage Examples

Preposition: on

  • grid: In the first of two races, he rose from third on the grid to move into the lead.

Converse of object

  • occupy: But the cinemas occupy only one third of the net lettable area of the building, with the remainder including licensed premises.

Adjective modifier

  • remaining: Of the remaining third, just under half were on partial housing benefit, and the rest paid all their own rent.
  • final: The final third should be back at 2mm deep.

Modifies a noun

  • party: We will not pass on your details to any third party without your prior consent.
  • quarter: The reports are available online from the third quarter of 1994 to the present date.
  • edition: Perhaps that is an update for the third edition.
  • year: In your third year you spend two days per week in the lab.
  • place: In 2005 this had dropped into third place with 54 % .
  • generation: In the third generation, we see the value judgments implicit in evaluation being made explicit.

Used with adjective complement

  • finish: Birmingham finished third, with Solihull providing 4 out of the 7 team members.
  • come: The Conservatives came third, to the distress of Ann Widdecombe, our memorable Guest of Honor on Speech Day.
  • lie: They were separated by two-fifths of a second at the end of lap one, with Barry Davidson ( Yamaha ) lying third.

Noun used with modifier

  • two-: Those who support the new proposals think that predictions of dangerousness would be right about two- thirds of the time.

Preposition: in

  • discus: He claimed a win in the hammer and third in the discus to provide unexpected but highly valuable points.
  • jump: Stephen Parkes won the six-lap race, was third in the vertical jump and fourth in the shot.
  • series: Multi-hand Bonus Blackjack This is the third in the series of multi-hand blackjacks.
  • league: This win moved us up to third in the league and Roches ' goal was a classic which will forever live in Saltash folklore.

Preposition: of

  • population: In Stantonbury a third of the population died, including the vicar.
  • workforce: In fact, as the TUC notes, trade unionists make up nearly one third of the workforce.
third Quotes

Who will dare deny that theThird Estate contains within itself all that is needed to constitute a nation?† What would theThird Estate be without theprivileged classes? It would be a whole in itself, and a prosperous one. Nothing can be done without it, and everything would be done far better without the others.

—Sie'  yes

There is nothing new inThird World governments seeking to justifyand perpetuate authoritarian rule by denouncing liberal democratic principles as alien.

—Aung San Suu Kyi

There are two kinds: one takes the music too fast, and the other too slow. There is no third!

—Saint Laurent, Louis

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell;The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost;The holy Catholick Church;The Communion of Saints;The Forgiveness of sins;The Resurrection of the body, And the life everlasting. Amen.

—Book of Common Prayer

Ex tertio cognitionis genere oritur necessarioAmor Dei intellectualis. From the third kind of knowledge [intuition] arises necessarily the intellectual love of God.

—Spinoza, Baruch also known as Benedict de Spinoza

Who is the third who walks always beside you? When I count, there are only you and I together But when I look ahead up the white road There is always another one walking beside you.

—Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)

Three poets, in three distant ages born, Greece, Italy, and England did adorn. The first in loftiness of thought surpassed, The next in majesty, in both the last: The force of Nature could no farther go; To make a third, she joined the former two.

—Dryden,John