What does "twice" mean?

1. (two times) two times or on two occasions. 2. (double the amount) double the amount, size, or strength of something.

How do you use "twice"?

Often used in frequency phrases like 'twice a week' or 'twice a year'. Commonly used in the comparative structure 'twice as [adjective] as'.

twice — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I have seen that movie two times."?

No — say "I have seen that movie twice.". While 'two times' is grammatically correct, 'twice' is much more natural and common in everyday English.

Word

01two times

A1 · Beginner

adv. two times or on two occasions.

adv. occurring on two separate occasions or instances.

“I brush my teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.”

“The committee met twice during the summer recess to ensure the project remained on schedule despite the absence of the lead architect.”

Usage

Often used in frequency phrases like 'twice a week' or 'twice a year'.

Pitfall

I have seen that movie two times.

I have seen that movie twice.

While 'two times' is grammatically correct, 'twice' is much more natural and common in everyday English.

Synonyms

two timesdoubly

Antonyms

once

02double the amount

A2 · Elementary

adv. double the amount, size, or strength of something.

adv. to a degree or amount that is twofold; doubled in quantity or intensity.

“This new battery lasts twice as long as the old one.”

“The renovated stadium now has twice the seating capacity of the original structure, allowing it to host major international tournaments.”

Usage

Commonly used in the comparative structure 'twice as [adjective] as'.

Synonyms

double doubly

Antonyms

half

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “twice” in context.

01. twice a year 02. twice a week

From earlier twise, from Middle English twies, twiȝes, from Old English twīġes (“twice”), from twīwa, twīġa ("twice"; whence Middle English twie (“twice”)) + -es (adverbial genitive ending). Related to Saterland Frisian twäie (“twice”), Middle Low German twiges, twies (“twice”), Middle High German zwies (“twice”). Equivalent to twi- (“(in) two; both”) + -ce. Similarly constructed to the prefixes bis- and dis-, borrowed from Indo-European cognates.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

both frequency number once thrice two