# three Musketeers

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/three-musketeers
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A group of three people who are very closely associated; a trio.

## Examples

- The three friends are like the Three Musketeers.
- My siblings and I are the three Musketeers of the family.
- The three coworkers always eat lunch together, so everyone calls them the Three Musketeers.
- Ever since they started the band together in high school, the three Musketeers have never missed a single rehearsal or weekend show.
- If you want to hire one of us for the project, you have to hire all three Musketeers because we always work as a team.
- After years of inseparable friendship, the trio became known as the Three Musketeers, always appearing together at every major social event in the city.

## Origin

The term originates from the 1844 historical adventure novel The Three Musketeers, written by Alexandre Dumas. It is a direct translation of the original French title, Les Trois Mousquetaires. Despite the numerical specificity of the name, the narrative famously concerns four individuals, a mathematical oversight that has not prevented the title from becoming the standard English designation for any inseparable trio.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.