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two-way

American  
[too-wey] / ˈtuˈweɪ /

adjective

  1. providing for or allowing movement in opposite directions, or both to and from a place.

    two-way traffic.

  2. allowing or entailing communication or exchange between two persons, groups, countries, etc.

  3. involving two parties or participants, as a relationship or agreement; two-sided.

    a two-way race for the nomination.

  4. entailing responsibilities, obligations, etc., on both such parties.

  5. capable of both receiving and sending signals.

    a two-way radio.

  6. capable of being used in two ways.


two-way British  

adjective

  1. moving, permitting movement, or operating in either of two opposite directions

    two-way traffic

    a two-way valve

  2. involving two participants

    a two-way agreement

  3. involving reciprocal obligation or mutual action

    a two-way process

  4. (of a radio, telephone, etc) allowing communications in two directions using both transmitting and receiving equipment

"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-way

First recorded in 1565–75

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:

Scientists often refer to this two-way communication system as the gut-brain axis.

From Science Daily Sep. 4, 2026

At peak times on Saturday, just before sunset, the narrow two-way street to Duryea’s is filled with cars as high-heeled and preppy patrons walk along the sloped grassy shoulder of the road.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 24, 2026

"Sometimes it's the other way round. It's the local authority putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community. It's a two-way street."

From BBC Aug. 23, 2026

Braun told me that managed security service providers offer a two-way benefit: it helps his project get over the scalability hump by pooling resources, while the small utilities benefit from a shared information environment.

From Slate Aug. 19, 2026

Scraping the snow away from the two-way door, I stuck my head in.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

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