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• duo
  duo

  noun

  duet.
• duo-
  duo-

  a combining form meaning “two,” used in the formation of compound words.

duo

¹ American  

[doo-oh, dyoo-oh] / ˈdu oʊ, ˈdju oʊ /

noun

• duos
  plural

1. Music. duet.

2. two persons commonly associated with each other; couple.

3. two animals or objects of the same sort; two things ordinarily placed or found together; a pair.

   a duo of lovebirds.

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duo- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “two,” used in the formation of compound words.

   duologue.

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duo ¹ British  

/ ˈdjuːəʊ /

noun

1. music

   1. a pair of performers

   2. another word for duet

2. a pair of actors, entertainers, etc

3. informal a pair of closely connected individuals

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duo- ² British  

combining form

1. indicating two

   duotone

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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

• duos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of duo¹

1580–90; < Italian < Latin: two

Origin of duo-²

Combining form of Greek dýo, Latin duo two

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Compare meaning

How does duo compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• duo vs. duet

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

duo duos

Slate’s Sam Adams talked with creative duo Robert and Michelle King about how they made exactly the right show for our current moment.

From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026

A bipartisan duo of U.S. senators is seeking answers from Google following a Wall Street Journal investigation into the impact of the tech giant’s AI tools on schoolchildren.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

The latest season, titled The Trip to the Northern Lights, is set in Scandinavia, as the duo move from Swedish hotels to remote Norwegian fishing huts while searching for the aurora borealis.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

But while they may not share many overt similarities, the strange duo align in their mutual slipperiness.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

We were still the same seesawing, yin-and-yang duo we’d been for twenty years now and still connected by a visceral and grounding love.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

They have one of the league’s best running back duos in Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

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

Mr. Millepied’s contemporary dance choreography is dominated by animated groups alternating with trios, duos and solos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

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

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Related Words

• pair

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