English Reference
Idiom idiom

or two


you use this after a number or a time word to mean 'approximately' or 'a few'. it suggests that the exact amount is not very important.


SIMPLE

“I need a minute or two to finish this.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The drive to the beach takes an hour or two depending on the traffic.”

COMPLEX

“After a year or two of dedicated research, the scientist finally discovered a pattern in the data.”

Last updated April 22, 2026