the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
"After adding up three apples, I realized I had exactly nine pieces of fruit in total since each apple contained three seeds."
The digit/figure 3.
"The digital clock blinked three seconds before turning off completely."
In plain English: Three is a number that comes right after two and before four.
"We counted three people standing at the door."
A numerical value after two and before four. Represented in Arabic digits as 3; this many dots (•••).
"She counted three apples on the table to make sure there was enough for everyone."
The word "three" comes from the Middle English thre, which traces back to Proto-Indo-European tréyes. It is related to similar words for the number in many other languages, such as German drei and Latin trēs.