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

Since it was launched in 2019 as part of an effort to speed up and harden the terms of the Brexit process, the party has grown rapidly, posing an unprecedented challenge to the two-party system that has dominated British politics for a century. — Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026

Room for a national conversation Drutman told NPR the new poll numbers mark a starting point for what could be a national conversation about how to break out of the country's two-party system. — Ashley Lopez, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026

Complaining about the two-party system may be the last genuinely bipartisan activity in American life. — Andy Craig, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2026

Hebley liked how Anderson, who finished a distant third with 7% of the vote, took on both candidates and thought the two-party political system was broken. — Terry Collins, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above