third party
A 'third party' refers to an individual or entity that is indirectly involved or has an interest in a situation, transaction, or agreement primarily between two other parties.
Definition
B2Business
(commercial)An entity that is not directly involved in a transaction but may provide goods or services to the primary parties.
Example
- The company outsourced its customer service to a third party.
B2Law
(legal)An individual or entity that is not directly involved in a dispute or agreement but may be affected by its outcome.
Example
- The third party witnessed the accident and provided a statement.
B2Politics
(chiefly US)A political group that opposes the main parties in a two-party system.
Example
- The third party candidate gained significant support in the election.
B2Technology
(technical)Software or applications developed by a vendor other than the original system manufacturer.
Example
- Many users prefer third-party apps for additional features.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "third party":
first partythird personparty of the second partthird countrythird wheelthird waytertium quidparty list