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

And the thrust of the piece is that Chaotic Good, this marketing firm, is basically creating all these third-party posts, paying other people to do this work, to seed the algorithm. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026

The company also began a partnership with Thailand Post last month, expanding on a prior relationship with Thailand third-party logistics provider (3PL) Leo Global Logistics that is designed to develop an end-to-end logistics corridor connecting Thailand, Vietnam and China. —Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026

Noun

Earlier this month, the group was able to access the program in part because one of the members of the group is a third party contractor for Anthropic, according to Bloomberg. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026

The program is overseen by a third party, not the NFL. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026

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 also:

party sense 1a, b