number two

American  

noun

number twos plural

1. someone or something that is second in rank, order, or importance.

2. defecation: used especially by or with reference to children.

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idioms

1. make / do / go number two, to defecate: used especially by or with reference to children.

number two British  

noun

1. euphemistic the act or an instance of defecation

2. a haircut in which the hair is cut close to the head with an electric shaver

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• number twos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of number two

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

number two

British number two Cameron Norrie ended a six-match losing streak with a 6-4-6-1 win over Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the Mifel Open in Mexico.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

And while the Renault brand, the number two player in Europe, posted a 2.6 percent increase year-on-year to 528,849 units, sales of Dacia brand slumped by 8.7 percent to 284,021 vehicles, the statement said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

He will leave Wimbledon at worst 63rd in the rankings and will overtake Jan Choinski to become the new British number two.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Jan is the British men's number two after cracking the world's top 100 for the first time in his career - but he flies under the radar.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Having grown up with this in our ears, it's startling to realize that other countries have nationalistic slogans of their own, none of which are "We're number two!"

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris