two-party system

American

[too-pahr-tee] / ˈtuˌpɑr ti /

noun

Government.

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

two-party system British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of two-party system

First recorded in 1900–05

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:

two-party system

They may have given up on the two-party system.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

For much of the past century, British politics functioned largely as a two-party system.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

The more significant result was what many analysts believe is the impending crack-up of Britain’s two-party system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Donaghy said Reform had broken the two-party system.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

Nor do those advocates of proportional representation, who desire to maintain the two-party system by artificial means, offer any machinery adequate for the purpose.

From Proportional Representation A Study in Methods of Election by John H. Humphreys

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