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[1]:
      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.

Further reading

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