three times

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   On three separate occasions.

   Grammar: Usually goes after the verb or at the end: she called three times.

   Patterns

   • do something three times
   • three times a day

   I rang the bell three times before anyone answered.

   He has visited Japan three times.

   The vaccine must be given three times over six months.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   Multiplied by three; to a degree that is triple something else.

   Grammar: Comes before as ... as or before a comparative: three times as big, three times larger.

   Patterns

   • three times as much as something
   • three times more than something

   Their new house is three times as big as the old one.

   Rents here are three times what they were ten years ago.

   The river was three times wider after the spring floods.

Common combinations

three times a week

She swims three times a week.

three times as many

We got three times as many replies as last year.

three times over

He has paid for that mistake three times over.

three times more

The new phone is three times more expensive.

asked three times

I asked three times, and still no answer.

Synonyms and how they differ

thrice

Thrice is old-fashioned or literary, whereas three times is the normal everyday phrase.

triple

Triple is used as an adjective or verb for something multiplied by three, not for counting occasions.

on three occasions

This is more formal and spells out the counting sense, while three times is shorter.

Word family

threefold adjective

three times as great or having three parts

triple verb

to become three times as large

third adjective

number three in order

Commonly confused: three times or three-time?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words