two

[ too ]
See synonyms for two on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a cardinal number, 1 plus 1.

  2. a symbol for this number, as 2 or II.

  1. a set of this many persons or things.

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

adjective
  1. amounting to two in number.

Idioms about two

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

  2. 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

1
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use two in a sentence

  • He was starting to make his conquest backed by one twenty, three fives, four twos, and ninety cents in silver.

    Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland
  • After the lapse of a fortnight, the leaves are gathered by twos, and from these the best tobaccos are produced.

  • Those that I now saw were yoked in twos or threes to large waggons, full of stones for mending the roads.

  • The world was hurrying by—in twos and threes—hurrying to warm cafés, to friends, to lovers.

    The Real Latin Quarter | F. Berkeley Smith
  • When she was able to sit up they would come by twos and threes and bring their work and chat until she was tired.

    Girls and Women | Harriet E. Paine (AKA E. Chester}

British Dictionary definitions for two

two

/ (tuː) /


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

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

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

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

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

  4. in two in or into two parts: break the bread in two

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

  6. that makes two of us the same applies to me

determiner
    • amounting to two: two nails

    • (as pronoun): he bought two

Origin of two

1
Old English twā (feminine); related to Old High German zwā, Old Norse tvau, Latin, Greek duo

Other words from two

  • Related adjectives: binary, double, dual
  • Related prefixes: di-, bi-

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

Other 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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.