twin
1 Americannoun
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twins
plural
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either of two children or animals brought forth at a birth.
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either of two persons or things closely related to or closely resembling each other.
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Also called twin room. a type of hotel accommodation with twin beds, for occupancy by two persons.
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Also called hemitrope. Crystallography. a compound crystal consisting of two or more parts or crystals definitely oriented each to the other; macle.
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Astronomy, Astrology. Twins, the constellation or sign of Gemini.
adjective
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being a twin or twins.
twin sisters.
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being two persons or things closely related to or closely resembling each other.
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being one of a pair; identical.
a twin bracelet; a twin peak.
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consisting of two similar parts or elements joined or connected.
a twin vase.
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Botany, Zoology. occurring in pairs; didymous.
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Crystallography. of the nature of a twin; hemitrope.
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twofold or double.
verb (used with object)
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to furnish a counterpart to or a replica of; match.
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Informal. to divide or convert into two, parts, similar items, etc..
The old movie palace will be twinned, making two smaller theaters.
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Informal. to link or combine with.
The new grocery store is twinned with a restaurant.
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Crystallography. to form into a twin.
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Obsolete. to give birth to as twins.
verb (used without object)
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to give birth to twins.
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to be paired or coupled.
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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
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either of two persons or things that are identical or very similar; counterpart
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( as modifier )
twin carburettors
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Also called: macle. a crystal consisting of two parts each of which has a definite orientation to the other
verb
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to pair or be paired together; couple
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(intr) to bear twins
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(intr) (of a crystal) to form into a twin
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archaic (intr) to be born as a twin
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(tr)
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to create a reciprocal relation between (two towns in different countries); pair (a town) with another in a different country
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(intr) (of a town) to be paired with a town in a different country
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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.
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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:
Now compare that to your hypothetical twin, who waits until 35 to start.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
“East of Eden” parallels the Biblical story of Cain and Abel first through Adam and Charles Trask, then again through Adam’s twin sons Aron and Caleb.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Traditional studios and TV networks have shed tens of thousands of workers in recent years after the streaming bubble burst and twin labor strikes paused projects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Czechs have been to Wembley since losing the Euro '96 final to Germany under the old stadium's twin towers, but this visit marks the 30-year anniversary of that remarkable summer in England.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
There were three twin beds with dozens of red and black pillows piled high.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
She then put the property on the market for $29.9 million in May, just two months before her youngest children, twins Knox and Vivienne, celebrated their 18th birthdays.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Trying to open a can of sardines could’ve gravely injured them had the twins not gotten into a screaming match in the process.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Nogbou founded Leeds Baby Bank in 2017 when she was a single parent of four children, including twins, and she realised how many other families were struggling.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
When she finally saw the twins again, in Isfahan’s female prison, their mother could hardly recognize them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
That roused her quicker than even the smelliest smelling salts could have, and she chased the twins ’round the room while screaming, “Mama! Mama!”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Is it this twinned violence and fecundity that feeds our dread?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Laki-Laki, which means "man" in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703m named Perempuan, the Indonesian word for "woman".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2025
Set in Vietnam in 2001 and focused, ostensibly, on its two eponymous characters, this is a film about mirrored visions of history and twinned versions of desire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025
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
Our lives were a series of actions twinned with “just in case” reactions.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
But all those efforts at twinning are a bit futile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
As part of their visit to the city the King and Queen Consort will also visit Liverpool Central Library to officially mark its twinning with Ukraine's first public library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 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
She spun slowly, taking in the curious twinning of familiarity and the strange that was stranger in its way than the wholly alien had been.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
