dual

1 of 2

adjective

du·​al ˈdü(-ə)l How to pronounce dual (audio)
 also  ˈdyü-əl
1
of grammatical number : denoting reference to two
a dual pronoun
2
a
: consisting of two parts or elements or having two like parts : double
families with dual incomes
held dual citizenship in France and the U.S.
a dual function
a dual exhaust system
b
: having a double character or nature

dual

2 of 2

noun

1
linguistics : the dual (see dual entry 1 sense 1) number of a language
2
linguistics : a linguistic form in the dual

Examples of dual in a Sentence

Adjective the dual purpose of the study She pursued dual careers in music and acting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
With Thursday's releases, a total of 83 Israelis, including dual nationals, were freed during the truce, most of whom appear physically well but shaken. Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 1 Dec. 2023 Enjoy hands-free movie watching on your phone, thanks to its multi-directional dual 360-degree rotation for the perfect viewing angle. Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2023 The announcement came after 13 Israeli hostages were freed in the Palestinian territory under the deal, along with three Thais and a Russian-Israeli dual citizen. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2023 All of these practices are better for the environment, and the sheep serve the dual purpose of providing weed control and natural fertilizer. Liz Thach, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 An American Israeli dual citizen who had been held in Gaza was among the hostages freed yesterday. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2023 The foreigners figure doesn't include dual nationals. Shoshanna Solomon, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2023 While juggling his dual flight attendant roles, Williams collected three degrees, earning a bachelor's degree in sociology with a concentration in business administration from George Mason University in 2004 and two associate's degrees years later. Clara McMichael, ABC News, 29 Nov. 2023 Only a handful of hostages have been released in the weeks since, including a mother and daughter with dual American and Israeli citizenship and two elderly Israeli women. Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2023
Noun
The quilted pattern isn’t just a classic look, it’s also meant to prevent rips from spreading, and this jacket has a great system of pockets, including a zippered chest pocket that duals as a packable sack. Joel Balsam, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2023 He was forced to defend the pacey Bukayo Saka all by himself, and Saka won a few duals including one that ended with Jesus dinking the ball high off the post and in for a classy opening goal in the fifth minute. Cincinnati Enquirer, The Enquirer, 20 July 2023 But a month ago the 21-year-old cast his lot with the Americans, becoming the most important dual in more than a decade to do so. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023 In Chapter 4 — with a cast including Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgard and Donnie Yen — Wick uncovers a path to defeating the High Table, a journey that sets in motion the events of the film and its climatic dual at Paris’ Sacré Coeur. Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 May 2023 After several years of planning, the East Baltimore school started a wrestling program this season, and under the guidance of McClain, the Panthers went 18-0 in duals, won the MIAA B Conference title and finished the year ranked No. 5 by The Baltimore Sun. Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2023 Vestavia Hills finished the regular season 16-1 in duals competition with the only loss coming to Class 6A state champion Mountain Brook in February. al, 29 Apr. 2023 The physicists reached a conclusion that researchers had not previously grasped because no one had studied such simple models holographically: Many fully commuting, small Hamiltonians seem to have perfect size winding, even though these models don’t have gravitational duals. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 23 Mar. 2023 If the early stretch of the season isn't going well, there are the conference duals to look forward to. Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin dualis, from duo two — more at two

First Known Use

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dual was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near dual

Cite this Entry

“Dual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dual. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

dual

adjective
du·​al
ˈd(y)ü-əl
1
: consisting of two parts or elements : having two parts alike
dual headphone jacks
2
: having a double character or nature
a dual function
dual citizenship
duality
d(y)ü-ˈal-ət-ē
noun
dually
ˈd(y)ü-ə-lē
adverb
Etymology

Adjective

from Latin dualis "dual," from duo "two" — related to deuce, double, dozen

More from Merriam-Webster on dual

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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