twin

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: either of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy
b
Twins plural : gemini
2
: one of two persons or things closely related to or resembling each other
3
: a compound crystal composed of two adjoining crystals or parts of crystals of the same kind that share a common plane of atoms
twinship noun

twin

2 of 3

adjective

1
: born with one other or as a pair at one birth
my twin brother
twin girls
2
a
: made up of two similar, related, or connected members or parts : double
b
: paired in a close or necessary relationship : matching
c
: having or consisting of two identical units
d
: being one of a pair

twin

3 of 3

verb

twinned; twinning

transitive verb

1
: to bring together in close association : couple
2

intransitive verb

1
: to bring forth twins
2
of a crystal : to grow in a compound form with two adjoining sections that share a common plane of atoms

Examples of twin in a Sentence

Noun She's the mother of twins. The twins went swimming after lunch. My sister just had twins. Sarah and her brother are twins. Adjective the twin goals of reducing oil dependence and protecting the environment
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But the recognition for the unlikely twins was hardly identical. Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 There are certain exceptions, such as closer Camilo Doval and the set-up Rogers twins, Taylor and Tyler, who likely won’t be asked to record more than four outs. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 The couple shared the exciting news on Instagram at the time, posting photos of the twins' birth certificates that included stamps of their tiny footprints. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Karen was talking about how their twins are playing ice hockey for the first time and loving the new rink in town. John Kenney, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Investigators ultimately determined the twins had been beaten and tortured repeatedly in the family’s Westchester home. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Regarding manufacturing, digital twins have been most helpful in product design and production planning. Oleg Fonarov, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The Missouri city has been asking for a TJs for years, but the chain chose its twin in Virginia instead. Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024 In this week's issue, the Black Panther and 9-1-1 actress, 65, reveals that a memorable family photo of her twins Slater Josiah and Bronwyn Golden, 18, first debuted in PEOPLE Magazine when the children were infants, has a special place in her home. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Lisa Ann Walter Dressed to 'Get a Date' at the 2024 SAG Awards — and Then Got Roasted by Her Son Walter is mom to son Jordan, 36, and daughter Delia, 32, as well as twin sons Spencer and Simon, 23. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The Thirty Meter would be composed of 492 hexagonal mirror segments, scaling up the design of the twin 10-meter Keck telescopes being operated on Mauna Kea by the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Beyond the tech, Tatoosh is one of the quietest yachts afloat thanks to twin DEUTZ-MWM 2,500 hp diesel engines with Visco Masse rubber mounts. Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 Her twin brother, Victor, was in the truck’s cab suffering seizures from chemical burns. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 There lives Edward’s decrepit mother, Amelia (Anabela Moreira), and his lithe, long-haired twin brother, Manuel (also Cotta, sporting a cryptic smile). J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 Loretta’s youngest children, twin daughters Peggy Jean and Patsy Eileen, formed the country duo the Lynns in 1997. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2024 Hager was a First Daughter along with her twin sister Barbara Bush when their father served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 The twin issues have been keenly felt, particularly among the young, according to Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, a trailblazing Druze journalist and former member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, for the Blue and White party. Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger Reunite — and Target Batman — as Presenters 6 hr 16 min ago Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger are twinning on the Oscars stage, three decades after appearing together in 1988's Twins. Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Chanel's most punk ambassador arrived with fiancée Dylan Meyer, continuing their pattern of coordinating looks without twinning. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2024 Costar Zendaya twinned with Chalamet in a similar look, except her monochrome outfit was a shade of light pink. Nikita Eglis, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Blunt opted for a Giorgio Armani gown adorned with sequins, crystals and rosettes, twinning in red with fellow nominee Margot Robbie. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 18 Feb. 2024 Choose from seven colors, including white, purple, and blue and gray, and sizes twin through California king. Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024 Even more fun was the fact that some celebrity mothers used the opportunity to twin with their lookalike daughters. Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 And as a testament to just that, Kate Hudson was recently spotted on Instagram sporting the Max Mara Teddy Bear Icon Coat and twinning with her daughter Rani Rose, who wore a kid’s version, during a winter getaway. Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2024 More recently, Denim twinned with her mother for a denim and velvet challenge. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'twin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from twin twofold

Adjective

Middle English, twofold, double, from Old English twinn; akin to Old Norse tvinnr two by two, Old English twā two

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of twin was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near twin

Cite this Entry

“Twin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

twin

1 of 3 adjective
1
: born with one other or as a pair at one birth
my twin brother
twin girls
2
a
: made up of two similar, related, or connected members or parts
b
: being one of a pair
a twin city

twin

2 of 3 verb
twinned; twinning
: to produce or give birth to twins

twin

3 of 3 noun
: either of two offspring produced at a birth compare fraternal twin, identical twin

Medical Definition

twin

1 of 2 adjective
: born with one other or as a pair at one birth
a twin brother
twin girls

twin

2 of 2 noun
1
: either of two offspring produced at a birth
2
twins plural : a group of two offspring born at one birth
twinship noun

More from Merriam-Webster on twin

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