two-party

adjective

two-par·​ty ˈtü-ˈpär-tē 

: characterized by two major political parties of comparable strength

Examples of two-party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Joe Biden struggled to put a complete sentence together, and that is the flaw of our two-party system. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026

The two-party system has done nothing to improve the lives of Eastern Shore residents. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2026

And now Starmer himself is out less than two years into a five-year mandate, his Labour government undone by a local-election drubbing and a right-wing populist rise that has scrambled the country’s two-party map. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 23 June 2026

Together, that has strained its finances and politics, with Britain’s historical two-party system fracturing into a patchwork of increasingly tribal alliances and factions. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above