three-name

verb

The act of vocatively referring to someone (usually a child in one's family) using their full legal name (first, middle, and last) in order to emphasize a scolding.

“Mom got super mad: she three-named my little brother as he made eye contact and dumped his noodles on the floor. "John Paul Smith, don't you dare dump those noodles on the floor!"”

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Meanings

verbthree-name (third-person singular simple present three-names, present participle three-naming, simple past and past participle three-named)

present singular third person three-names · participle present three-naming · participle past three-named · past three-named

  1. USslangThe act of vocatively referring to someone (usually a child in one's family) using their full legal name (first, middle, and last) in order to emphasize a scolding.

    Mom got super mad: she three-named my little brother as he made eye contact and dumped his noodles on the floor. "John Paul Smith, don't you dare dump those noodles on the floor!"

Cite this entry
APA

three-name. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three-name

MLA

“three-name.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three-name. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “three-name,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three-name.

Source: three-name on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.