triplicate

1 of 4

noun (1)

trip·​li·​cate ˈtri-pli-kət How to pronounce triplicate (audio)
Synonyms of triplicatenext
: three copies all alike
—used with in
typed in triplicate

triplicate

2 of 4

adjective

trip·​li·​cate ˈtri-pli-kət How to pronounce triplicate (audio)
: consisting of or existing in three corresponding or identical parts or examples
triplicate invoices

triplicate

3 of 4

verb

trip·​li·​cate ˈtri-plə-ˌkāt How to pronounce triplicate (audio)
triplicated; triplicating

transitive verb

1
: to make triple or threefold
2
: to prepare in triplicate
triplicate the forms
triplication
ˌtri-plə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce triplicate (audio)
noun

triplication

4 of 4

noun (2)

trip·​li·​ca·​tion ˌtripləˈkāshən How to pronounce triplication (audio)
plural -s
1
a
: a legal pleading showing why the last pleading of the opposing party should not be given legal effect : an equitable rebutter
b
: the plaintiff's reply to the defendant's rejoinder in Roman and civil law resembling the surrejoinder in common law
c
: the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's replication in early English law
2
: the action of tripling or making threefold or adding three together
3
: something that is triplicated or threefold

Examples of triplicate 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.
Noun
Protests poured in from places such as the jet propulsion lab—protests in triplicate. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2022 Reports would be written in triplicate so each member would get a copy. — Chicago Tribune, 22 Sep. 2022 Coen shows her to us, and to Macbeth, in a triplicate mirage. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 25 Dec. 2021 Over the past 27 months, that has proven the case at least in triplicate with the Heat president. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Oct. 2021 But tripping up in triplicate spoiled a shot at an even more spectacular season. — Brett Dawson, The Courier-Journal, 7 Oct. 2022 Each company received three identical samples, tested in triplicate. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2026 There's a powerful character line running along the car's flanks, and the iconic Hofmeister kink is present in the rear quarter windows—in triplicate—echoed in the door shape, chrome trim, and in the reinforcement visible in the window. — Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 5 Nov. 2022 Although tax credit is a dirty word in policy making—signaling a love for filing forms in triplicate and unnecessary complexity—these programs have been simplified by lawmakers to directly pay out cash to consumers and businesses. — Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2021
Adjective
Leaders get budget exceptions approved with a phone call while their teams fill out forms in triplicate. — Melissa Sierra, Forbes.com, 10 Mar. 2026 Purdue continued to pursue these doctors in non-triplicate states even after triplicate states dropped the requirement. — Allison Schrager, Quartz, 4 Dec. 2019 Improving efficiency and property management—Gone are the days of triplicate carbon copies or a ring full of keys. — Advertorial, Orange County Register, 12 June 2024 These triplicate images will also take on distinguishing characteristics that point to their origins. — Robert Lea, Popular Mechanics, 28 Mar. 2023 One of several characters sporting capes with a triplicate diamond pattern appears to issue a signal, after which others join it, dashing to the edge of the area before leaping off and swooping down into the swirling cloud bank. — Matt Peckham, Time, 12 Sep. 2017 Meanwhile, the sheer curtains came alive with layered projections — solar flares, pulsing wavelengths, images of Reznor casting ghostly echoes of himself across the gauze in duplicate, triplicate, quadruplicate. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026 The twentieth-century corrective—a corporate workplace of rules, hierarchies, collective bargaining, triplicate forms—brought its own unfairnesses. — Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 15 May 2017
Verb
Disney said its changes are in response to the number of DAS users triplicating over the past few years. — Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 14 June 2024 Brands are often surprised to find duplicate and even triplicate investments burning holes in their budgets. — Tate Olinghouse, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 That’s why our holiday wish list includes a microwave splatter guard, preferably in duplicate or triplicate. — oregonlive, 18 Nov. 2020 And there are a lot of components—in some satellites, the mission-critical computers are triplicated. — IEEE Spectrum, 20 July 2012 In this mouse model, a large region of its genome that is equivalent to a large portion of human chromosome 21 is triplicated to reproduce many features of Down syndrome. — Joaquin Espinosa, The Conversation, 5 June 2023 Meanwhile, the sheer curtains came alive with layered projections — solar flares, pulsing wavelengths, images of Reznor casting ghostly echoes of himself across the gauze in duplicate, triplicate, quadruplicate. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin triplicatus, past participle of triplicare to triple, from triplic-, triplex threefold

Noun (2)

Middle French, from Late Latin triplication-, triplicatio action of tripling, from Latin triplicatus + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1797, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of triplicate was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing triplicate

Browse Nearby Words

triplex process
triplicate
triplication
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Triplicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triplicate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

triplicate

1 of 3 adjective
trip·​li·​cate ˈtrip-li-kət How to pronounce triplicate (audio)
: made in three identical copies

triplicate

2 of 3 verb
trip·​li·​cate ˈtrip-lə-ˌkāt How to pronounce triplicate (audio)
triplicated; triplicating
: to make triple or prepare in triplicate

triplicate

3 of 3 noun
trip·​li·​cate ˈtrip-li-kət How to pronounce triplicate (audio)
: three copies all alike
—used with in
typed in triplicate

More from Merriam-Webster on triplicate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for triplicate

Nglish: Translation of triplicate for Spanish Speakers

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