# triple

Pronunciation: say "TRIP-uhl" /ˈtɹɪpəl/

## Verb

1. To multiply a number or amount by three, making it three times as great.
   - Simple: To make something three times bigger or more.
   - _The new owners plan to triple production at the plant by next year._
   - _Triple the result, then subtract four to get the final answer._
2. To grow to three times the previous size or amount.
   - Simple: To become three times as big.
   - _Experts expect demand for the vaccine to triple by winter._
   - _Home values in the neighborhood tripled over the decade._
8. To serve or work as something in addition to two other roles or functions.
   - Simple: To also be used as something else, on top of two other uses.
   - _The town hall doubles as a library and triples as a polling station on election day._
   - _In a tiny apartment, the coffee table may have to double as a desk and triple as a dining table._
12. In baseball, to make a hit on which the batter reaches third base safely.
   - Simple: In baseball, to hit the ball and run safely all the way to third base.
   - _Ramos tripled off the wall in right-center, driving in two runs._
   - _He needed only to triple in his last at-bat to hit for the cycle._

## Adjective

3. Made up of three related parts, which often match one another.
   - Simple: Made of three parts that go together and often look the same.
   - _The cathedral's west front is framed by a triple arch of carved stone._
   - _The necklace has a triple strand of pearls that hang at slightly different lengths._
4. Of three times the amount or number; three times as much or as many.
   - Simple: Three times as much or as many.
   - _The nurse realized the patient had been given a triple dose of the drug._
   - _Workers who take the holiday shift earn triple wages._
9. Having three distinct aspects.
   - Simple: Having three different sides or parts to it.
   - _The poem's title carries a triple meaning, each one darker than the last._
   - _The agency was given a triple mission: to regulate, to inspect, and to educate._
10. Folded into three parts, or made up of three layers.
   - Simple: Folded into three, or made of three layers.
   - _The knees of the work pants are reinforced with a triple thickness of canvas._
   - _The cabin's triple-pane windows keep the heat in all winter._
11. Designed for use by three people at a time.
   - Simple: Made for three people to share or use together.
   - _The hostel offers singles, doubles, and triple rooms with three separate beds._
   - _The three friends rented a triple kayak so they could paddle the lake together._

## Noun

5. A number, amount, or size three times as great as another.
   - Simple: An amount, number, or size three times as big as another.
   - _The painting sold at auction for triple its estimate._
   - _Investors who got in early made back triple their original stake._
6. In baseball, a hit on which the batter safely reaches third base.
   - Simple: A hit in baseball that lets the batter run all the way to third base.
   - _He lined a triple into the right-field corner, driving in two runs._
   - _Fast runners tend to collect more triples than slow power hitters do._
7. An alcoholic drink made with three measures of liquor. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A drink with three shots of alcohol in it.
   - _After the meeting she walked into the bar and asked for a triple._
   - _The bartender poured him a triple without being asked._
13. A hamburger made with three patties. *(US)*
   - Simple: A burger with three pieces of meat in it.
   - _The diner's famous triple comes with bacon, two kinds of cheese, and a fried egg._
   - _After the game, the whole team stopped for triples and milkshakes._
14. In basketball, a successful field goal worth three points.
   - Simple: In basketball, a basket that counts for three points.
   - _He drained a triple from the corner to tie the game with four seconds left._
   - _The guards combined for nine triples, most of them from well beyond the arc._
15. A sequence of exactly three elements, also called a 3-tuple.
   - Simple: A list of three things in a set order, used in math and computing.
   - _The function returns a triple containing the minimum, the maximum, and the mean of the list._
   - _An RDF database stores its facts as triples of subject, predicate, and object._
16. In cricket, a score of three runs.
   - Simple: Three runs in a game of cricket.
   - _A misfield in the deep let the batters scramble back for a triple._
   - _Her innings of forty included three triples, all of them run hard between the wickets._
17. In curling, a takeout shot that removes three stones from play.
   - Simple: In curling, a throw that knocks three stones out of play.
   - _Facing three opposing stones in the house, the skip called for a triple and made it perfectly._
   - _His last-stone triple removed all of the opponents' counters and won the game._

## Adjective

18. Being one of a group of three, or the third. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Being one out of three, or the third one.

## Origin

From Middle English triple (also þripell), from Latin triplus. It is a doublet of treble.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/triple (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).