THIRD DEGREE Definition & Meaning

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third degree

noun

intensive questioning or rough treatment, especially by the police, in order to get information or a confession.
the degree of master mason in Freemasonry.

third-degree

[ thurd-di-gree ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

third-degreed, third-degreeing.

to subject to the third degree.

adjective

of or relating to the third degree.

third degree

noun

informal.
torture or bullying, esp used to extort confessions or information

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of third degree¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Origin of third degree²

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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Idioms and Phrases

Intensive questioning or rough treatment used to obtain information or a confession, as in The detectives gave her the third degree , or Jim gave her the third degree when she came home so late . This term comes from freemasonry, where a candidate receives the third or highest degree, that of master mason, upon passing an intensive test. Dating from the 1770s, the phrase was transferred to other kinds of interrogation in the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In December 2023 a Manhattan jury found Majors guilty on one count of assault in the third degree and one count of harassment in the second degree.

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"Most of them have extensive burn injuries, above 18% surface body area, second and third degree burns on the head, neck, upper torso, and upper limbs - hands and fingers," he said.

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It was known as “the third degree” and involved tactics that today would be considered torture: brutal beatings; deprivation of food, water, sleep and toilets; prolonged confinement.

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Heart blocks are graded as first, second or third degree, depending on severity.

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In December 2023, a Manhattan jury found Majors, 35, guilty on one count of assault in the third degree and one count of harassment in the second degree.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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