4 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A third is the lowest honours degree that can be obtained from a British university.
thi rd-cla ss ADJ [ADJ n] A third-class degree is the lowest honours degree that can be obtained from a British university.
thi rd-degree
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Third-degree burns are very severe, destroying tissue under the skin. □ He suffered third-degree burns over 98 per cent of his body.
2 N‑SING If you say that someone has been given the third degree , you mean that they have been questioned or criticized severely. [INFORMAL ] □ She's phoned to complain and you're suddenly being given the third degree.
third|ly /θɜː r dli/ ADV You use thirdly when you want to make a third point or give a third reason for something. □ First of all, there are not many of them, and secondly, they have little money and, thirdly, they have few big businesses.
thi rd pa r|ty (third parties )
1 N‑COUNT A third party is someone who is not one of the main people involved in a business agreement or legal case, but who is involved in it in a minor role. □ You can instruct your bank to allow a third party to remove money from your account.
2 ADJ Third-party insurance is a type of insurance that pays money to people who are hurt or whose property is damaged as a result of something you have done. It does not pay you any money for damage you suffer as a result of your own actions. [BRIT ] □ Premiums for third-party cover are set to rise by up to 25 per cent.
thi rd pe r|son N‑SING In grammar, a statement in the third person is a statement about another person or thing, and not directly about yourself or about the person you are talking to. The subject of a statement like this is 'he', 'she', 'it', or a name or noun.
thi rd-ra te ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as third-rate , you mean that it is of a very poor quality or standard. □ …a third-rate movie.
Thi rd Wa y N‑SING The Third Way is used to refer to a set of political beliefs and principles that is neither extremely right-wing nor extremely left-wing.
Thi rd Wo rld ◆◇◇ N‑PROPER [N n] The countries of Africa, Asia, and South America are sometimes referred to all together as the Third World , especially those parts that are poor, do not have much power, and are not considered to be highly developed. Compare First World . □ …development in the Third World. □ …Third World debt.
thirst /θɜː r st/ (thirsts , thirsting , thirsted )
1 N‑VAR Thirst is the feeling that you need to drink something. □ Instead of tea or coffee, drink water to quench your thirst. □ I had such a thirst.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Thirst is the condition of not having enough to drink. □ They died of thirst on the voyage.
3 N‑SING A thirst for something is a very strong desire for that thing. □ [+ for ] Children show a real thirst for learning.
4 VERB If you say that someone thirsts for something, you mean that they have a strong desire for it. [LITERARY ] □ [V + for/after ] We all thirst for the same things.
thirsty /θɜː r sti/ (thirstier , thirstiest )
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are thirsty , you feel a need to drink something. □ Drink whenever you feel thirsty during exercise. ● thirsti|ly /θɜː r st I li/ ADV [ADV after v] □ The child nodded, drinking her milk thirstily.
2 ADJ If you are thirsty for something, you have a strong desire for it. [LITERARY ] □ [+ for ] People should understand how thirsty for revenge they are.
thir|teen ◆◆◆ /θɜː r tiː n/ (thirteens ) NUM Thirteen is the number 13. □ Thirteen people died in the accident.
thir|teenth ◆◆◇ /θɜː r tiː nθ/ (thirteenths )
1 ORD The thirteenth item in a series is the one that you count as number thirteen. □ His efforts were rewarded with his thirteenth goal of the seaon.
2 FRACTION A thirteenth is one of thirteen equal parts of something.
thir|ti|eth ◆◆◇ /θɜː r tiəθ/ ORD The thirtieth item in a series is the one that you count as number thirty. □ …her thirtieth birthday.
thir|ty ◆◆◆ /θɜː r ti/ (thirties )
1 NUM Thirty is the number 30. □ The building was built about thirty years ago.
2 N‑PLURAL When you talk about the thirties , you are referring to numbers between 30 and 39. For example, if you are in your thirties , you are aged between 30 and 39. If the temperature is in the thirties , the temperature is between 30 and 39 degrees.
3 N‑PLURAL The thirties is the decade between 1930 and 1939. □ She became quite a notable director in the thirties and forties.
this ◆◆◆ The determiner is pronounced /ð I s/. In other cases, this is pronounced /ð I s/. 1 DET You use this to refer back to a particular person or thing that has been mentioned or implied. □ Food should be left to stand. During this delay the centre carries on cooking. □ The U.S. suspended a proposed $574 million aid package. Of this amount, $250 million is for military purchases. ● PRON This is also a pronoun. □ I don't know how bad the injury is, because I have never had one like this before.
2 PRON You use this to introduce someone or something that you are going to talk about. □ This is what I will do. I will phone Anna and explain. ● DET This is also a determiner. □ This report is from David Cook of our Science Unit: 'Why did the dinosaurs become extinct?'
3 PRON You use this to refer back to an idea or situation expressed in a previous sentence or sentences. □ You feel that it's uneconomic to insist that people work together in groups. Why is this? ● DET This is also a determiner. □ There have been demands for action to put an end to this situation.