trilateral

adjective

tri·​lat·​er·​al (ˌ)trī-ˈla-tə-rəl How to pronounce trilateral (audio)
-ˈla-trəl
: having three sides or parties
trilateral business ventures
trilateral discussions

Examples of trilateral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After phone conversations with his counterparts in Mexico and Canada, Trump decided last Thursday to pause until April 2 the general tariffs for products that are under a trilateral trade agreement. Fabiola Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025 The French aircraft carrier then transited northward and reached the waters south and east of the Philippines—the Celebes Sea and the Philippine Sea—for a large-scale trilateral exercise with aircraft carriers sent by the United States and Japan from February 7 to 18. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025 Mandelson championed the trilateral alliance shared by the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, established with the intent of countering China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 29 Jan. 2025 One striking insight emerged from these talks: the main reason for Beijing’s seeming unwillingness to build a trilateral coalition with Russia and North Korea is that such an arrangement would call for strategic leadership by China, and Beijing is decidedly uninterested in such a prospect. Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trilateral

Word History

Etymology

Latin trilaterus, from tri- + later-, latus side

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trilateral was in 1660

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trilateral. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

trilateral

adjective
tri·​lat·​er·​al (ˈ)trī-ˈlat-ə-rəl How to pronounce trilateral (audio)
-ˈla-trəl
: having three sides
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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