third-party

1 of 2

adjective

third-par·​ty ˈthərd-ˈpär-tē 

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

b

: minor party

Examples of third-party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The announcement raised a big question: How much were third-party fact-checkers really responsible for what content stays or goes on Meta’s platforms? —Clare Duffy, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025

Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful. —Campbell Robertson, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Noun

Prosecutors countered that a business record with a third party is not protected by an expectation of privacy. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 25 Jan. 2025

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party. —Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

b

: minor party

Legal Definition

third party

see party sense 1a, b