- any muscle having three heads, esp the one (triceps brachii) that extends the forearm
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tri•ceps /ˈtraɪsɛps/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. -ceps•es /-sɛpsɪz/USA pronunciation -ceps.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Anatomyany muscle with three heads, esp. the one at the back of the upper arm, which extends the forearm.
tri•ceps
(trī′seps),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ceps•es (-sep siz),USA pronunciation -ceps. [Anat.]
- a muscle having three heads or points of origin, esp. the muscle on the back of the arm, the action of which straightens the elbow.
- Latin: three-headed, equivalent. to tri- tri- + -ceps, stem -cipit- -headed, derivative of caput head
- 1570–80
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
triceps /ˈtraɪsɛps/ n ( pl -cepses /-sɛpsɪz/, -ceps)
'triceps' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):