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Definition of 'two'

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two

(tu )
Word forms: twos
1. number
Two is the number 2.
2. 
See it takes two
3. 
See put two and two together
4.  to kill two birds with one stone
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

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two in American English

(tu )
adjective
1. 
totaling one more than one
noun
2. 
the cardinal number between one and three; 2; II
3. 
any two people or things; pair; couple
4. 
something numbered two or having two units, as a playing card, domino, face of a die, etc.
5.  Basketball
two-pointer
Idioms:
in two
put two and two together
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME two, tu < OE twa, fem. & neut., tu, neut., akin to Ger zwei < IE base *dwōu-, two > L duo, two, Gr duo, Sans dvau
Word Frequency

two in American English

(tuː)
noun
1. 
a cardinal number, 1 plus 1
2. 
a symbol for this number, as 2 or II
3. 
a set of this many persons or things
4. 
a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with two pips
5.  See in two
6.  See put two and two together
adjective
7. 
amounting to two in number
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME; OE twā (fem. and neut.; cf. twain); c. G zwei; cf. L duo, Gk dýo]
Word Frequency

two in British English

(tuː )
noun
1. 
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one. It is a prime number
See also number (sense 1)
2. 
a numeral, 2, II, (ii), etc, representing this number
3.  music
the numeral 2 used as the lower figure in a time signature, indicating that the beat is measured in minims
4. 
something representing, represented by, or consisting of two units, such as a playing card with two symbols on it
5.  Also called: two o'clock
two hours after noon or midnight
6.  See in two
7.  See put two and two together
8.  See that makes two of us
determiner
9. 
a. 
amounting to two
two nails
b. 
(as pronoun)
he bought two
▶ Related adjectives: , , ▶ Related prefixes: , binary, double, dual, di-, bi-
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English twā (feminine); related to Old High German zwā, Old Norse tvau, Latin, Greek duo

Examples of 'two' in a sentence
two

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
They have now won just two of their last eight games and goalscoring remains a problem.
The Sun (2016)
Consumer spending accounts for about two thirds of national output.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Then two people or groups can stay in step to move forward.
The Sun (2016)
But to come away from the two games top of our qualifying group was the main objective.
The Sun (2016)
Yet the number two position is now occupied by low back and neck pain.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
What was the impulse behind putting the two pieces together?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We play with two strikers and one behind.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those planted within the past two or three years should be relatively easy to lift and move.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We have been calling for this for a long time as the two work hand in hand.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We look at a selection of coastal spots that put you within two hours of decent skiing.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They put it up after two people complained they had been hit on the head.
The Sun (2010)
There was a hint of regret at the mention of two that got away.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Being a number two is a way to stay connected or to reconnect with elite management.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We worked together for two years before we got married.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Genetic mutation is one of two main sources of genetic variability in populations of organisms.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
He still rides two or three times a week.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
To do this we put two resolutions to shareholders.
Thompson, Sir Peter Sharing the Success - the story of NFC (1990)
Your neighbours have two main direct legal rights that could interfere with the work.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The data showed that two thirds of the marriages were the first for both parties.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Prices based on two people sharing a twin room.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The closest beaches are two miles away.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The two together tell us where certain activities should be placed.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
And he showed why by wasting not one but two opportunities.
The Sun (2014)
There are persistent blind spots that many reviewers of his work have noted over the past two decades.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
What a roller-coaster ride it has been over the last two decades.
The Sun (2013)
Use them all to spell two numbers, then add them together.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There remains point in argument about the past: for two reasons.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)

More idioms containing
two

stand on your own two feet
the lesser of two evils
your two cents' worth
kill two birds with one stone
ride two horses at the same time
like two peas in a pod
take someone down a peg or two
not have two pennies to rub together
your two penn'orth
two a penny
in two shakes of a lamb's tail
two sides of the same coin
fall between two stools
it takes two to tango
thick as two short planks
be two of a kind
put two and two together
serve two masters
in two minds

Trends of
two

View usage over:

In other languages
two

British English: two /tuː/ NUMBER
Two is the number 2.
... two pieces of cake.
  • American English: two /ˈtu/
  • Arabic: اِثْنان
  • Brazilian Portuguese: dois
  • Chinese: 二
  • Croatian: dva
  • Czech: dvě
  • Danish: to
  • Dutch: twee
  • European Spanish: dos
  • Finnish: kaksi
  • French: deux
  • German: zwei
  • Greek: δύο
  • Italian: due
  • Japanese: 二
  • Korean: 2
  • Norwegian: to
  • Polish: dwa
  • European Portuguese: dois
  • Romanian: doi
  • Russian: два
  • Spanish: dos
  • Swedish: två
  • Thai: สอง
  • Turkish: iki
  • Ukrainian: два
  • Vietnamese: hai

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two

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Related terms of
two

  • in two
  • two-up
  • one-two
  • two-bit
  • two-ply

  • View more related words

Source

Definition of two from the Collins English Dictionary
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Nov 21, 2021
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a song or poem appropriate to or greeting the dawn
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Scrabble score
for 'two':
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bridal or bridle?

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The   party was waiting at the house.

sauce or source?

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I prepared a sauce of garlic, tomatoes, and cheese. I prepared a source of garlic, tomatoes, and cheese.

hangar or hanger?

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The property has eight bedrooms and a helicopter hangar. The property has eight bedrooms and a helicopter hanger.

stake or steak?

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The only thing on the menu was stake and kidney pie. The only thing on the menu was steak and kidney pie.
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