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third wheel

noun, verb — 4 senses

third wheel

nounalso spelled third-wheel
1

Idiomatic A person or thing that serves no useful purpose.

2

Idiomatic A third party, usually unwanted, accompanying two people on a date.

3

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see third, wheel.

Synonyms
fifth wheel, gooseberry
Related terms
two's company, three's a crowd

third-wheel

verb

Etymology From third wheel.

1

Ambitransitive To act as a third wheel; to accompany two people, unwanted, on a date.

  • The Argentine polo star, Ralph Lauren model and personal pal to Harry was with the royal couple on Thursday as he and Harry’s polo team scored the winning trophy at the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup. He even third-wheeled the newlyweds as the pair shared a congratulatory kiss after the charity match, a hilarious moment caught by photographers.2018 July 28, Dave Quinn, “Meghan Markle and Prince Harry 'Found Each Other to Change the World,' Says Couple's Pal”, in People:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for third wheel and third-wheel.