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Synonyms

put two and two together

Idioms  

  1. Draw the proper inference from existing evidence, as in Putting two and two together, it's not hard to guess who will be chosen for the lead role in the play. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Seems she hadn’t put two and two together when Gosling pointed her toward the mark on the floor where she was supposed to stand for the cameras.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Surely, the viewer can put two and two together on their own to decipher a deeper meaning within the text without the message being spoon-fed to them.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2025

While this might have come as a complete surprise to most parents, Clare quickly put two and two together.

From Slate • Mar. 24, 2025

He told the inquiry: "Because of what happened the following day, I put two and two together and came up with some conclusion that we were probably being followed."

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2024

“Wait a minute—” I put two and two together.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.