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The money-related definition of two-bit makes its etymology obvious: it is derived from the noun phrase two bits. However, two bits is an interesting phrase because it actually means "the value of a quarter of a dollar." There is no such thing as a single bit, at least not anymore. The now-obsolete Spanish dollar (also known as a peso or piece of eight) was composed of eight reales, or eight bits, so a quarter of the dollar equaled two bits. The phrase two bits carried over into U.S. usage. It first appeared in print in English in the early 1700s (and later developed the figurative sense of "something of small worth or importance"), and was followed by its adjectival relative sometime around the beginning of the 19th century. These days, the adjective has far surpassed the noun in popularity.
Examples of two-bit in a Sentence
Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
Initially, theater houses exhibited short clips in dingy rooms and were considered little more than two-bit sideshows.
—Hannah Fish, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2025
The four resulting states are used to represent the four possible two-bit combinations: 00, 01, 10, and 11.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Jan. 2016
The genre-bender, about a two-bit criminal loser who stumbles upon his superpowers and learns to care about humanity, became Italy’s 2016 sleeper hit, pulling in 1 million admissions locally before launching from dozens of festivals and selling widely around the world.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 24 July 2024
Just a speck in the elaborate web of scandal that seized Anaheim city government, to be sure, but a textbook case of how two-bit tyranny can strangle a righteous American Dream.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 10 May 2024
In so doing, the state has taken a wholly worthwhile cause — the cause of individual choice — and sullied it with an unlovely combination of hypocrisy and two-bit protectionism.
—The Editors, National Review, 7 May 2024
This is not a local two-bit show, this is the best of the best of the best.
—Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2024
The 2017 bull market had vaulted crypto into the mainstream, but also given rise to outrageous scams and exposed many of the industry’s leading figures as two-bit hucksters—or worse.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 17 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Two-bit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/two-bit. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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