three's a crowd

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Used to say that two people want to be alone together and a third person is not wanted.

   Grammar: It works as a complete comment or a short sentence: Three's a crowd, so I'll go home.

   Patterns

   • three's a crowd

   When Sam and Mia started holding hands, I decided that three's a crowd and left them alone.

   He said three's a crowd and went to get drinks while the couple talked.

   The saying 'two's company, three's a crowd' means a couple usually wants privacy.

2. 2phrasefixed phrasehumorous

   Used more generally when a third person is not needed for a plan or activity.

   Grammar: Often used humorously when one person feels left out of a group of two.

   Patterns

   • three's a crowd

   I offered to join their study session, but they joked that three's a crowd.

   She felt like three's a crowd when her two best friends made plans without her.

Common combinations

two's company, three's a crowd

My grandmother always says two's company, three's a crowd when a couple wants time alone.

feel like three's a crowd

I felt like three's a crowd at dinner because the other two were old friends.

three's a crowd situation

It was a three's a crowd situation, so I made an excuse and left.

Synonyms and how they differ

two's company

This is the first half of the same saying and is used when the focus is on the pair being together rather than the extra person.

Word family

crowd noun

A large group of people in one place; the idiom uses it to mean too many people for a private moment.

Commonly confused: three's a crowd or three's company?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “three's a crowd”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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