trifecta
noun
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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
Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025
Three years later, in 1971, the MMR vaccine made its debut, providing a trifecta of protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025
Saturday’s Road to the Kentucky Derby schedule features a trifecta of Championship Series stakes as key races for bigger Derby preps at the same tracks in the next five weeks.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
His speech will be his fifth public address before a joint session of Congress, and comes at a time when Republicans hold a trifecta with a GOP president and majorities in both the House and the Senate.
—Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 28 Feb. 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 12 Mar. 2025.
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