two-by-four

American  

[too-bahy-fawr, -fohr, -buh-] / ˈtu baɪˌfɔr, -ˌfoʊr, -bə- /

adjective

1. two units thick and four units wide, especially in inches.

2. Informal. lacking adequate space; cramped.

   a small, two-by-four room.

3. Informal. unimportant; insignificant.

   Theirs was a petty, two-by-four operation.

---

noun

1. a timber measuring 2 × 4 inches (5 × 10 centimeters) in cross section, when untrimmed: equivalent to 1 5/8 × 3 5/8 inches (4.5 × 9 centimeters) when trimmed.

two-by-four British  

noun

1. a length of untrimmed timber with a cross section that measures 2 inches by 4 inches

2. a trimmed timber joist with a cross section that measures 1 1/ 2 inches by 3 1/ 2 inches

---

Etymology

Origin of two-by-four

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

“I’m building something,” I say, and pick up my first two-by-four.

From Literature

The corridor, eight feet tall and 20 feet long, is built from ordinary wall board and exposed two-by-four struts.

From Los Angeles Times

If “Knight of Fortune” is a gentle nudge to the ribs, Misan Harriman’s “The After” is a two-by-four to the gut — and not in a good way.

From New York Times

To craft a bass guitar, Aston took a two-by-four piece of wood and attached it to a square of plywood; down the neck he strung a curtain cord, with a wooden ashtray as the bridge.

From New York Times

“I’m not going to lie. If I see a rock I like, I try and roll it in my car on a two-by-four.”

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• girder
• joist
• piling
• pillar
• plank
• pole
• shaft
• sill
• timber