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terrible twos

American

[ter-uh-buhl tooz] / ˈtɛr ə bəl ˈtuz /

plural noun

a developmental phase in some toddlers characterized by temper tantrums, mood swings, defiance, and territorial behaviors.

The terrible twos have reduced my kiddo’s vocabulary to two words, “mine” and “no!”

Etymology

Origin of terrible twos

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

He was spotted by The Specials' Jerry Dammers, who recruited him as a frontman by deploying a terrible pun.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2022

Revelation’s writers never met a terrible pun they didn’t like, and characters like the dopey villain Mer-Man and the perpetually terrified Cringer feel out of place in this grittier world.

From The Verge • Jul. 21, 2021

A Post reporter replied with this terrible pun:

From Washington Post • Jul. 20, 2018

Insert rubbish joke, refer to 1,057 and/or terrible pun as appropriate.

From The Guardian • Feb. 18, 2013

And it wasn’t because of his father’s terrible pun.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

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