Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense twins, present participle twinning, past tense, past participle twinned
1. countable noun [oft NOUN noun]
If two people are twins, they have the same mother and were born on the same day.
Sarah was looking after the twins.
I think there are many positive aspects to being a twin.
She had a twin brother and a younger brother.
Synonyms: double, counterpart, mate, match More Synonyms of twin
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Twin is used to describe a pair of things that look the same and are close together.
...the twin spires of the cathedral.
...the world's largest twin-engined aircraft.
Synonyms: identical, matched, matching, double More Synonyms of twin
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Twin is used to describe two things or ideas that are similar or connected in some way.
...the twin concepts of liberty and equality.
Nothing was done to save these women from the twin evils of begging or the workhouse.
Synonyms: closely related, parallel, corresponding, complementary More Synonyms of twin
4. verb [usually passive]
When a place or organization in one country is twinnedwith a place or organization in another country, a special relationship is formally established between them.
[British]
My son's state primary school is twinned with a school near Johannesburg. [beVERB-ed + with]
The busy commercial town is twinned with Truro. [V-ed + with]
Synonyms: pair, match, join, couple More Synonyms of twin
twinninguncountable noun
The twinning of the two towns was formalised at a function held last week.
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Twin towns or cities are twinned with each other.
[British]
The thirty Germans were visiting their UK twin town.
regional note: in AM, use sister cities
6. See also identical twin, Siamese twin
twin in British English
(twɪn)
noun
1.
a.
either of two persons or animals conceived at the same time
b.
(as modifier)
a twin brother
See also identical (sense 3), fraternal (sense 3)
2.
a.
either of two persons or things that are identical or very similar; counterpart
b.
(as modifier)
twin carburettors
3. Also called: macle
a crystal consisting of two parts each of which has a definite orientation to the other
verbWord forms: twins, twinning or twinned
4.
to pair or be paired together; couple
5. (intransitive)
to bear twins
6. (intransitive)
(of a crystal) to form into a twin
7. (intransitive) archaic
to be born as a twin
8. (transitive)
a.
to create a reciprocal relation between (two towns in different countries); pair (a town) with another in a different country
b. (intransitive)
(of a town) to be paired with a town in a different country
Derived forms
twinning (ˈtwinning)
noun
Word origin
Old English twinn; related to Old High German zwiniling twin, Old Norse tvinnr double
twin in American English
(twɪn)
adjective
1.
a.
consisting of or being two separate but similar or closely related things; forming a pair; double; paired
twin beds
b.
being one of a pair of such things; being a counterpart
2.
a.
being two offspring from the same pregnancy
twin girls
b.
being either one of two offspring from the same pregnancy
a twin sister
noun
3.
either one of two offspring from the same pregnancy: twins are either identical (produced from the same ovum) or fraternal (produced from separate ova)
4.
either one of two persons or things very much alike in appearance, shape, structure, etc.
5.
a compound crystal of two crystals or parts having a common face but in reversed positions with respect to each other
verb intransitiveWord forms: twinned or ˈtwinning
6.
to give birth to twins
7.
to be paired or coupled (with another)
8. Archaic
to be born at the same birth
verb transitive
9.
to give birth to as twins
10.
to be or provide a counterpart to
11.
to pair or couple
Idioms:
the Twins
Word origin
ME < OE twinn & ON tvinnr, double, both < base of two
Examples of 'twin' in a sentence
twin
Luck links two sets of twins.
The Sun (2016)
He's hardly had a magical couple of weeks after his feud with his twin brother resurfaced.
The Sun (2017)
The three rooms are more modern and airy: two compact twins and a bigger master double.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A further two twin rooms on the first floor also share a bathroom.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Two ground-floor twin room share a bathroom, and the master bedroom is en suite.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She said:'It is not unusual for the condition to affect one of a pair of twins.
The Sun (2017)
Now 22-year-old identical twins have both joined RNLI lifeboat crews.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
But critics claim it will spoil visits to twin towns and other trips.
The Sun (2013)
We are happy to stay in a nice villa or share four twin rooms.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Prices based on two people sharing a twin room and subject to availability.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We are also making more double and twin rooms available for single occupancy.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The couple have twin daughters aged one.
The Sun (2010)
She is like a little mother to the twins.
The Sun (2012)
They had to make a choice between two twin infants.
Christianity Today (2000)
My twin brothers sang on the chorus and were amazing.
The Sun (2009)
When you look after three pairs of twins you naturally get a lot of experience.
LM Montgomery Anne of Green Gables (1872)
But some viewers claimed he only saved the twins to make the show more entertaining.
The Sun (2009)
He has no idea being home all day with the twins just drains me.
The Sun (2009)
This is awfully sad but they say that twins are very close.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In many ways, the twins were lucky.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We were so close at one time, typical twins.
The Sun (2008)
I am on my way to meet a stranger who might as well be my identical twin.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But if it is mostly governed by genes, identical twins should be more likely to share the personality trait.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Siamese, or conjoined, twins form with the incomplete split of a single fertilised egg.
The Sun (2010)
Five hundred twins were monitored from their 40s and 50s.
The Sun (2006)
In other languages
twin
British English: twin /twɪn/ NOUN
If two people are twins, they have the same mother and were born on the same day.
My sister was looking after the twins.
American English: twin
Arabic: تَوْأَم
Brazilian Portuguese: gêmeo
Chinese: 孪生子
Croatian: blizanci
Czech: dvojče
Danish: tvilling
Dutch: tweeling
European Spanish: gemelo
Finnish: kaksonen
French: jumeau
German: Zwilling
Greek: δίδυμος
Italian: gemello
Japanese: 双子
Korean: 쌍둥이
Norwegian: tvilling
Polish: bliźniak brat lub siostra
European Portuguese: gémeo
Romanian: geamăn
Russian: близнец
Latin American Spanish: gemelo
Swedish: tvilling
Thai: คู่แฝด
Turkish: ikiz
Ukrainian: близнюк
Vietnamese: con sinh đôi
British English: twin ADJECTIVE
Twin is used to describe a pair of things that look the same and are close together.
...the twin spires of the cathedral.
American English: twin
Brazilian Portuguese: gêmeo
Chinese: 成对的
European Spanish: gemelo
French: jumeau
German: Doppel-
Italian: gemello
Japanese: 対の
Korean: 같은 모양의
European Portuguese: gémeo
Latin American Spanish: gemelo
All related terms of 'twin'
evil twin
a hidden wireless internet access point operating near a legitimate one, used by cybercriminals to divert sensitive information such as account numbers and passwords
twin bed
Twin beds are two single beds in one bedroom .
twin beds
matching single beds in a bedroom or hotel room
twin bill
→ double feature
twin city
a town that has civic associations , such as reciprocal visits and cultural exchanges , with a foreign town, usually of similar size and sometimes with other similarities, as in commercial activities
twin room
a hotel room containing two single beds
twin set
a matching pair of women's sweaters , a pullover and a cardigan , intended to be worn together
twin-size
of or being the usual or standard size of a twin bed
twin town
a town that has civic associations , such as reciprocal visits and cultural exchanges , with a foreign town, usually of similar size and sometimes with other similarities, as in commercial activities
twin-tub
a type of washing machine that has two revolving drums , one for washing and the other for spin-drying
twin-bedded
A twin-bedded room has two single beds .
Twin Cities
Minneapolis & St. Paul , Minn.
twin-screw
(of a vessel) having two propellers
twin-track
involving two simultaneous actions or processes
Siamese twin
Siamese twins are twins who are born with their bodies joined .
twin bedroom
A bedroom is a room used for sleeping in.
twin camshaft
A twin camshaft is an arrangement of two parallel camshafts for each set of cylinders in an engine. Usually one operates the intake valve and the other the exhaust valve.
twin-cylinder
(of an engine) having twin cylinders
twin-engined
(of an aircraft) having two engines
twin paradox
a phenomenon predicted by relativity . One of a pair of identical twins is supposed to live normally in an inertial system whilst the other is accelerated to a high speed in a spaceship , travels for a long time, and finally returns to rest beside their twin. The travelled twin will be found to be younger than their sibling
conjoined twin
Conjoined twins are twins who are born with their bodies joined .
fraternal twin
one of a pair of twins , not necessarily resembling each other, or of the same sex , that develop from two separately fertilized ova
identical twin
Identical twins are twins of the same sex who look exactly the same.
twin-carburettor
(of an engine ) having two carburettors
twinset
A twinset is a set of women's clothing, consisting of a cardigan and sweater of the same colour.
twin-bedded room
a hotel room containing two single beds
twin-lens reflex
a reflex camera with two lenses , one of which supplies the image reflected in the viewfinder and the other the image on the exposed film
double feature
a programme showing two full-length films
double-header
A double-header is a sporting contest between two teams that involves two separate games being played, often on the same day .