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
1
linguistics
: the dual (see dual entry 1 sense 1) number of a language
2
linguistics
: a linguistic form in the dual
Synonyms
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
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
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
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
Phrases Containing dual
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.
Copy Citation
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
noun
d(y)ü-ˈal-ət-ē
dually
adverb
ˈd(y)ü-ə-lē
More from Merriam-Webster on dual
Nglish: Translation of dual for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dual for Arabic Speakers
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