1
: of, relating to, or involving a third party
third-party insurance
2
: of, relating to, or being software that is created by a vendor to be compatible with the products of another vendor

third party

2 of 2

noun

1
: a person other than the principals
a third party to a divorce proceeding
insurance against injury to third parties
2
a
: a major political party operating over a limited period of time in addition to two other major parties in a nation or state normally characterized by a two-party system

Examples of third-party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Commercial licensing, confidentiality, the protection of original production materials and the terms governing third-party AI tools are all important considerations in our approach. — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 Those who use a third-party USB-C dock from Jsaux or Genki won’t need to use this component. — Cameron Faulkner, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
Customers can order online, ahead of time, for pickup or get delivery through third party apps like DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026 Any information sent to the cloud is through private cloud compute and is therefore inaccessible to Apple or third parties. — Victoria Song, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for third-party

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of third-party was in 1641

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Third-party.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/third-party. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

third party

noun
1
: a person other than the main participants
a third party to the legal proceedings
2
a
: a political party operating usually for a limited time in addition to the two major parties in a 2-party system

Legal Definition

third party

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