two

[ too ]

/ tu /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR two ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cardinal number, 1 plus 1.

a symbol for this number, as 2 or II.

a set of this many persons or things.

a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with two pips.

adjective

amounting to two in number.

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Idioms for two

in two, into two separate parts, as halves: A bolt of lightning split the tree in two.

put two and two together, to draw a correct conclusion from the given circumstances; infer: It didn't require a great mind to put two and two together.

Origin of two

before 900; Middle English; Old English twā (feminine and neuter; cf. twain); cognate with German zwei; compare Latin duo, Greek dýo

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH two

to too two

Words nearby two

twite, twitten, twitter, twitterpated, twittery, two, two bits, two can play at that game, two cents, two gentlemen of verona, the, two heads are better than one

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for two

Interesting that those who sat in judgment of him found those two sets of beliefs to be incompatible.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If anything the work the two cops and the maintenance guy were doing deserves more respect and probably helped a lot more people.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Toomey lives here with her husband, Mark, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, and their two daughters.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But no more so than the Sodexo building maintenance man or the two cops who were also killed in the crossfire.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

France 24's coverage of two developing hostage situations in Paris on Friday.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There were numerous sheepfolds and two cattle pens, but the rest of the country round was quite open.
Taking Tales|W.H.G. Kingston
Two days afterwards, on the 9th of September, I arrived with the commissary at Milan.
My Ten Years' Imprisonment|Silvio Pellico
As I have already said, we had made four oars, but our boat was so small that only two were necessary.
The Coral Island|R. M. Ballantyne
The servant followed with the two cases and the bag, and laid them upon the table, then placed himself at the door.
Frederick The Great and His Family|L. Muhlbach
The women and children were being hurried to the ships, and two ladies were hastening past my friend.
The Angel and the Author - and Others|Jerome K. Jerome

British Dictionary definitions for two

two

/ (tuː) /

noun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one. It is a prime numberSee also number (def. 1)

a numeral, 2, II, (ii), etc, representing this number

music the numeral 2 used as the lower figure in a time signature, indicating that the beat is measured in minims

something representing, represented by, or consisting of two units, such as a playing card with two symbols on it

Also called: two o'clock two hours after noon or midnight

in two in or into two partsbreak the bread in two

put two and two together to make an inference from available evidence, esp an obvious inference

that makes two of us the same applies to me

determiner

amounting to twotwo nails
(as pronoun)he bought two

Other words from two

Related adjectives: binary, double, dualRelated prefixes: di-, bi-

Word Origin for two

Old English twā (feminine); related to Old High German zwā, Old Norse tvau, Latin, Greek duo

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with two

two

In addition to the idioms beginning with two

two bits
two can play at that game
two cents
two left feet, have
two of a kind
two shakes of a lamb's tail
two strikes against
two strings to one's bow
two ways about it
two wrongs do not make a right

also see:

fall between the crack (two stools)
for two cents
game that two can play
goody-two-shoes
in two shakes
it takes two
kill two birds with one stone
know all the answers (a thing or two)
lesser of two evils
like as two peas in a pod
no two ways about it
of two minds
put two and two together
that makes two of us
thing or two
wear two hats

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two