twin
1 Americannoun
-
twins
plural
-
either of two children or animals brought forth at a birth.
-
either of two persons or things closely related to or closely resembling each other.
-
Also called twin room. a type of hotel accommodation with twin beds, for occupancy by two persons.
-
Also called hemitrope. Crystallography. a compound crystal consisting of two or more parts or crystals definitely oriented each to the other; macle.
-
Astronomy, Astrology. Twins, the constellation or sign of Gemini.
adjective
-
being a twin or twins.
twin sisters.
-
being two persons or things closely related to or closely resembling each other.
-
being one of a pair; identical.
a twin bracelet; a twin peak.
-
consisting of two similar parts or elements joined or connected.
a twin vase.
-
Botany, Zoology. occurring in pairs; didymous.
-
Crystallography. of the nature of a twin; hemitrope.
-
twofold or double.
verb (used with object)
-
to furnish a counterpart to or a replica of; match.
-
Informal. to divide or convert into two, parts, similar items, etc..
The old movie palace will be twinned, making two smaller theaters.
-
Informal. to link or combine with.
The new grocery store is twinned with a restaurant.
-
Crystallography. to form into a twin.
-
Obsolete. to give birth to as twins.
verb (used without object)
-
to give birth to twins.
-
to be paired or coupled.
-
to match or resemble someone or something in a specific way, and to acknowledge this resemblance: Check out these photos of moms and daughters twinning!
They are twinning so hard right now.
Check out these photos of moms and daughters twinning!
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
-
-
either of two persons or things that are identical or very similar; counterpart
-
( as modifier )
twin carburettors
-
-
Also called: macle. a crystal consisting of two parts each of which has a definite orientation to the other
verb
-
to pair or be paired together; couple
-
(intr) to bear twins
-
(intr) (of a crystal) to form into a twin
-
archaic (intr) to be born as a twin
-
(tr)
-
to create a reciprocal relation between (two towns in different countries); pair (a town) with another in a different country
-
(intr) (of a town) to be paired with a town in a different country
-
-
One of two offspring born of a single gestation. Identical twins result from the division of a fertilized egg. Fraternal twins result from the fertilization of two separate eggs at the same time.
-
A crystal structure consisting of two intergrown crystals that are mirror images of each other. Mineral twins can form as result of defective crystal growth in response to stress from rock deformation or during magma cooling.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of twin
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective twynne, twinne, Old English adjective twinn “twofold, double”; noun and adjective getwinn “double,” (plural getwinnas “twins”); akin to Old Frisian twīna, twīne “two together,” Old Norse tvinnr “double,” Gothic twaihnái “two each”
Explanation
When mammals have two babies at once, each of them is a twin. If you have a twin brother or sister, the two of you are always the same age. There are identical twins, who have the same DNA, and fraternal twins, who are more like two siblings who happen to be born at the same time. It's more common to describe humans as twins than other animals. The adjective twin can also describe a pair of things, like the twin chocolate cakes you serve at your birthday party or the "Twin Cities" in Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
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.
See Examples For:
The 17-year-old has since had her leg amputated, joining hundreds more Venezuelans who lost limbs during the devastating twin tremors on June 24.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
If an artificial "twin" requires greater complexity to imitate the behavior of a biological neuron, then the biological neuron itself has greater computational power.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Serú Girán and Texas Tornados are probably the twin pillars, but beyond that?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Siemens said it’s worked on digital twin projects for everything from rockets in space to batteries to microchips—besides snack chips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Not after her Mama's twin sister Celeste went missing in Astradam when they were young girls.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Sisters Anita Marie and Maria Francine, biological twins with the Sisters of Notre Dame, stood at the door to the ICE office wearing their traditional habits.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Digital twins, essentially virtual models that mirror a physical object, are a years-old concept, but gaining popularity amid improvements in AI and investments from companies like Nvidia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
George, 65, Amal, 48, and their 9-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, live in the town of Brignoles in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
In December, the French government announced that the Clooneys, including their 9-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, were awarded citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
He was happy to have Jess and the twins tagging along for the day.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
Is it this twinned violence and fecundity that feeds our dread?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
These twinned crises put the U.S. on its slow, foot-dragging path toward energy independence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
And I suppose these twinned non-endorsements did make sense, if you’ve been tracking the trajectory of these two newspapers—and the news business in general—over the past few years.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2024
His 65 marks his joint lowest round at a major as he twinned his trademark long drives with skilful play around the greens.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2024
My nail-bitten fingers twinned with his, pale and webbed with purple veins.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
But all those efforts at twinning are a bit futile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Andy Burnham said Manchester has a twinning arrangement with Wuhan, which was the epicentre of the Covid pandemic.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2023
There’s a case to be made for the twinning of these events.
From Washington Post ● May 19, 2022
Jessica Beck, a curator at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, came up with the idea of twinning the artists as a way of reintroducing Marisol and showing the overlap of ideas and influence.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2022
On the refrains her voice spun, twinning and mixing with my own.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
