1
: moving or allowing movement in either direction
a two-way bridge
2
a
: involving or allowing an exchange between two individuals or groups
there must be good two-way communication—
Jerrold Orne
Jerrold Orne
especially
: designed for both sending and receiving messages
two-way radio
b
: involving mutual responsibility or reciprocal relationships
political alliance is a two-way thing—T. H. White †1986
T. H. White †19863
a
: involving two participants
a two-way race
b
sports
: playing on both the offensive and defensive squads of a team (as in American football)
Frost, a throwback to the era of two-way players, is the Cardinal's starting free safety and backup quarterback.—The New York Times
The New York Times
also
: playing both offense and defense well
a basketball forward who's a talented two-way player
4
: usable in either of two manners
a two-way lamp
5
: being a cock or valve that will connect a pipe or channel with either of two others
Examples of two-way in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some ingenious fantasy interludes involve Mama’s FaceTime confabs with the likes of Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which are made to seem like two-way conversations by projections whiz Kelly Colburn.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
From Sarah Valenzuela: Shohei Ohtani had a successful procedure on his elbow, the Angels two-way star and his agent Nez Balelo announced on Tuesday.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders on Tuesday defended Colorado State's Henry Blackburn, who has received death threats over a late hit that sent Buffs two-way star Travis Hunter to the hospital.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2023
Oregon will be facing a Colorado secondary that will utilize a variety of players to fill the void at cornerback left due to the injury to two-way star Travis Hunter.
—oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
Deion Sanders stood up for Henry Blackburn after the Colorado State safety received death threats for a late hit that sent Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
Deion Sanders stood up for Henry Blackburn on Tuesday after the Colorado State safety received death threats for a late hit that sent Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver.
—Pat Graham, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
Most likely, Kuntar, who signed a two-year/two-way deal in March after his junior season at BC, will start the season in Providence.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023
Fiaseu, a 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore, was a two-way standout at Las Vegas’ Liberty High School.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
See More
Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
From Sarah Valenzuela: Shohei Ohtani had a successful procedure on his elbow, the Angels two-way star and his agent Nez Balelo announced on Tuesday.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders on Tuesday defended Colorado State's Henry Blackburn, who has received death threats over a late hit that sent Buffs two-way star Travis Hunter to the hospital.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2023
Oregon will be facing a Colorado secondary that will utilize a variety of players to fill the void at cornerback left due to the injury to two-way star Travis Hunter.
—oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
Deion Sanders stood up for Henry Blackburn after the Colorado State safety received death threats for a late hit that sent Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
Deion Sanders stood up for Henry Blackburn on Tuesday after the Colorado State safety received death threats for a late hit that sent Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver.
—Pat Graham, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
Most likely, Kuntar, who signed a two-year/two-way deal in March after his junior season at BC, will start the season in Providence.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023
Fiaseu, a 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore, was a two-way standout at Las Vegas’ Liberty High School.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'two-way.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near two-way
Cite this Entry
“Two-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/two-way. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
two-way
adjective1
: moving or acting or allowing movement or action in either direction
two-way traffic
a two-way street
2
a
: involving two persons or groups
communication is a two-way process
b
: made to send and receive messages
a two-way radio
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