throuple
noun/ˈθɹʌp.əl/
Etymology Blend of three + couple.
1
Three individuals engaged in a romantic or sexual relationship.
- The Air Force veteran fatally shot by police during last week’s US Capitol riot had been in a “throuple” with her husband and their live-in girlfriend, according to reports.2021 January 14, Tamar Lapin, “Ashli Babbitt, Air Force vet killed at Capitol, was in a ‘throuple’”, in New York Post, archived from the original on 17 Apr 2022, retrieved 22 Jul 2021:
- Nearly a year ago, I began dating two friends — I’ll call them Rachel and Dave — who were already themselves in a relationship. We all had no experience with polyamory. The throuple ended fairly quickly, with no one being at fault; the other two continued to date but broke up not too long afterward.2023 April 21, Kwame Anthony Appiah, “Our Throuple Fell Apart. What Are the Rules of the Breakup?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2023:
2 more examples
- But among all the throuples, polycules and nesting partners, there exists another category of polyamory that still throws many for a loop: solo polyamory, or having concurrent intimate relationships while maintaining independence.2024 August 2, Gina Cherelus, “You’re ‘Solo Poly’? So … You’re Single?”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 27 Mar 2024:
- “Honeybee, if you stare at that dividend check any harder, we're gonna officially be a throuple.” [chuckles] “I'm in.”2024 May 17, Thomas Reyes, “The Mighty Pucks Adventure” (0:35 from the start), in The Great North, season 4, episode 6, spoken by Wolf Tobin (Will Forte):
- Derived terms
- throupling