Twofold Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms twofold American [too-fohld, too-fohld] / ˈtuˌfoʊld, ˈtuˈfoʊld /

adjective

1. having two elements or parts.

2. twice as great or as much; double.

adverb

1. in twofold measure; doubly.

twofold British / ˈtuːˌfəʊld /

adjective

1. equal to twice as many or twice as much; double

   a twofold increase

2. made of two parts; dual

   a twofold reason

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

1. doubly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• twofoldness noun

Etymology

Origin of twofold

Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; two, -fold

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In tumor samples from HPV-positive cancer patients, cancer cell killing increased by twofold to threefold.

From Science Daily

“I think it’s twofold. It’s people who think they might need it just for themselves, but it’s people who feel like they might need it for other people. … It’s been wildly popular.”

From Los Angeles Times

The aim of the social supermarket is twofold, according to Watkins.

From BBC

“They’re solarized. We put them up late last year. It’s twofold. It gets us closer to our sustainability goals. And it also is far more resilient to copper wire theft.”

From Los Angeles Times

It may be easy to lose hope, but Enck says it is not too late to make a difference -- pointing to a twofold approach that combines personal action with collective pressure.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.