third place

English

Etymology

Coined by American urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1989.

Noun

third place (plural third places)

1. (urban studies, sociology) A social space separate from the two usual social environments of home (“first place”) and the workplace (“second place”), such as a bar or public library.

   Synonym: third space

   • 2018 September 4, Elle Hunt, “Tell us about your 'third place' – where you connect with your community”, in The Guardian‎:

     The “third place” is a public, social place where you spend time that is neither home nor work. Whether it is publicly run, like a library, or a commercial venture, it is, above all, shared – a site of community-building and interaction with others.

   • 2025 June 14, Gregory Meyer, “Starbucks hopes to achieve much needed caffeine boost by hiring more baristas”, in FT Weekend, Companies & Markets, page 11:

     The rise of mobile and drive-through along with lives lived online raises questions about the role of coffee houses as a “third place” where people find community.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see third,‎ place.

Translations

A social space separate from the two usual social environments of home and workplace

Finnish: kolmas paikka French: tiers-lieu (fr) m German: dritter Ort m Polish: trzecie miejsce n Russian: тре́тье ме́сто n (trétʹje mésto) Serbo-Croatian: treće mjesto n

Further reading

• third place on Wikipedia.Wikipedia