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 communicationJerrold 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 thingT. H. White †1986
3
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
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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of two-way was in 1571

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.

Kids Definition

two-way

adjective
1
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on two-way

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!