What does thrice mean?
Thrice is an English adverb meaning three times, especially three occurrences of an action or three times a stated amount. Its best-known use is in older, literary, legal, religious, or proverbial contexts, where it gives a sentence a measured, elevated, or deliberately traditional cadence. It remains fully standard in British and American English, although speakers usually choose the plainer phrase “three times” in ordinary conversation. When used figuratively in expressions such as “thrice blessed,” the word may suggest exceptional good fortune or distinction, but its central numerical meaning remains exact: three occurrences, not merely repetition. Thrice is therefore valuable to readers of older texts and to writers seeking formal emphasis, and its unusual appearance can make even a familiar numerical idea memorable. Its compactness also illustrates how English preserves older vocabulary from the period when numbers were routinely expressed through distinct adverbial forms.
adverbAn adverb indicating that something happens exactly three times.
- Exactly three times.
"The bell rang thrice before the gate was opened."
"The bell rang thrice before the gate was opened."
"The revised estimate is thrice the original figure."
Long before modern speakers reached for the phrase “three times,” Old English already had thrise to say exactly that.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does thrice come from?
Thrice descends from Old English thrise, an adverb meaning “three times,” formed from the Old English numeral þrī, “three,” with an adverbial ending. Middle English had forms such as thries and thryes, with the modern spelling established later. Its relatives include third, triple, and triad, which continue the same ancient Indo-European root for “three” through Germanic, Latin, and Greek respectively.
How thrice is actually used
Thrice is standard in both British and American English but sounds more literary, elevated, archaic, or ceremonial than the ordinary phrase “three times.” It is especially common in legal, religious, historical, and proverbial language.
Easily confused with thrice
Thrice means three times, whereas twice means two times.