duo
noun
duet.
duo
1 American
[doo-oh, dyoo-oh]
/ ˈdu oʊ, ˈdju oʊ /
noun
-
duos
plural
-
Music. duet.
-
two persons commonly associated with each other; couple.
-
two animals or objects of the same sort; two things ordinarily placed or found together; a pair.
a duo of lovebirds.
duo-
2
American
duo
1
British
/ ˈdjuːəʊ /
noun
-
music
-
a pair of performers
-
another word for duet
-
-
a pair of actors, entertainers, etc
-
informal a pair of closely connected individuals
duo-
2
British
combining form
Usage
What does duo- mean? Duo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “two.” It is occasionally used in technical terms. Duo- comes from Greek dýo and Latin duo, both meaning “two.” In fact, English’s own word two is related to these roots! Learn more at our entry at two.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of duo1
1580–90; < Italian < Latin: two
Origin of duo-2
Combining form of Greek dýo, Latin duo two
Compare meaning
How does duo compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A duo is a pair of things or people. Batman and Robin are a famous dynamic duo, but a duo is any two people doing something together, not just crime fighting. In fact, a duo usually entertains. You can complain that you can't find a duo of matching socks, but it's more common to use duo for people who perform together. For example, Penn and Teller are a magician duo, and Laurel and Hardy were a comedy duo. If you and your sister play your ukuleles together in the subway for tips, you're also a duo. Originally, a duo was a song written for two voices, from the Latin meaning of duo, "two."
Vocabulary lists containing duo
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:
In 2019 Boris Johnson hired New Zealand duo Ben Guerin and Sean Topham to run the digital campaign for the general election.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Following the FBI duo as they search for a missing colleague, Carter’s director’s cut is for the most staunch sci-fi fans, those who crave every little bit of “X-Files” lore they can get.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
To choose their first country, the duo spun a digital wheel, landed on Armenia and found themselves at Little Armenia Cafe in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the very next night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Oates, 78, who is best known as one half of the musical duo Hall & Oates, initially listed his 4.3-acre spread—which is located in Woody Creek, just outside of Aspen—for $6 million in 2017.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
They were a dynamic duo if ever there was one.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
These giant black hole duos are expected to form naturally after galaxies merge.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
Now, 43 years later, Russell and Hawn have become one of Hollywood’s most-loved duos and have turned their focus to real estate.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
Most of them call for soloists and a four-part choir, but he wrote solo cantatas as well as duos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
Rams Pro Bowl selections Jared Verse and Byron Young share a relationship that goes beyond being one of the strongest pass rushing duos in the NFL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
Or like Pa’s old doo-wop records with duos and trios that went high, higher, then low.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
