trifecta
noun
Did you know?
Where does trifecta come from?
Trifecta is a recent addition to the English language. It first appeared in the early 1970s as a term for a horse-racing bet in which the first, second, and third place finishers are chosen in the correct order.
The word has since broadened in meaning: it can now also refer to a group of three (usually desirable) things (such as “the trifecta of curing cancer, ending hunger, and putting an end to war"). It is found in everything from advertisements to media company names to casual speech.
Trifecta combines the prefix tri- (meaning “three”) with the last element in perfecta, a word of American Spanish origin that refers to a horse-racing bet in which the first- and second-place finishers are chosen correctly.
Examples of trifecta in a Sentence
Damian Calhoun, Orange County Register, 7 Mar. 2025
The western suburbs are getting a trifecta of restaurants.
—Max Scheinblum, The Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2025
With only six people left in the game, the Family trifecta was her only logical target — and David and Parv were both safe.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
During the last funding fight in December, Johnson pushed for an extension until March to set Republicans up to reach an agreement on new spending bills with a GOP trifecta in Washington.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trifecta
Cite this Entry
“Trifecta.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trifecta. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share