two-party system

[too-pahr-tee]

noun

Government.

1. a political system consisting chiefly of two major parties, more or less equal in strength.

two-party system

noun

1. a condition or system in which two major parties dominate a political unit

Word History and Origins

Origin of two-party system¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Other challengers to the two-party system make the opposite mistake, trying to fill ideological space that is already occupied by one or both of the major parties.

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Public opinion can be fluid; a party that wants to succeed in the long term—and especially one that bears the burden, in a two-party system, of maintaining a functional country—needs to have priorities besides winning the next election.

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"It's always been a two-party system and I think starting a third party just adds to the confusion."

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The billionaire announced on his social media platform X that he had set up the America Party and billed it as a challenge to the Republican and Democratic two-party system.

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“South Korea is very much locked into a two-party system where it is generally rare to see a third party candidate make much of a difference,” Kim, the political scientist, said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times