1. adverb [ADVERB with verb, ADV adv, ADVERB noun]
If something happens twice, there are two actions or events of the same kind.
He visited me twice that fall.
The government has twice declined to back the scheme.
Brush teeth and gums twice daily.
Twice before he had been in New York with Gladys on summer vacations.
...Foster, who is twice the world champion.
2. adverb
You use twice in expressions such as twice a day and twice a week to indicate that two events or actions of the same kind happen in each day or week.
I phoned twice a day, leaving messages with his secretary.
This famous horse race has taken place here twice a year since 1310.
3. adverb [ADVas adj/adv]
If one thing is, for example, twice as big or old as another, the first thing is two times as big or old as the second. People sometimes say that one thing is twice as good or hard as another when they want to emphasize that the first thing is much better or harder than the second.
The figure of seventy-million pounds was twice as big as expected.
Remember, brunch is twice as delicious eaten outside.
Twice is also a predeterminer.
The barn was twice the size of her father's.
Double cream contains approximately twice the quantity of fat-soluble vitamins assingle cream.
4.
See to think twice
5. once or twice
6. twice over
English Easy Learning GrammarNoun phrases with several determinersMost noun phrases contain only one determiner or none at all, but if there are more,they follow a definite order. Determiners can be divided into four ... Read more
twice in British English
(twaɪs)
adverb
1.
two times; on two occasions or in two cases
he coughed twice
2.
double in degree or quantity
twice as long
Word origin
Old English twiwa; related to Old Norse tvisvar, Middle Low German twiges
twice in American English
(twaɪs)
adverb
1.
on two occasions or in two instances
2.
two times
3.
two times as much or as many; twofold; doubly
Word origin
ME twies < OE twiges < twiga, twice, akin to twa, two + -es, gen. sing. ending
More idioms containing
twice
lightning does not strike twice
once bitten, twice shy
Examples of 'twice' in a sentence
twice
We argue once or twice a week.
The Sun (2017)
To that end it should think twice in future before attacking the media for doing its job.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You can feed them twice a day.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It was not compulsory but he was buying into that twice a week.
The Sun (2016)
They might think twice before spreading their own particular brand of mayhem and destruction.
The Sun (2016)
Tests show taking a drug twice a day restores hair growth in four months.
The Sun (2016)
It also suggests additional strength exercises twice a week which work all major muscles.
The Sun (2016)
The snap will hopefully make other people think twice before doing the same thing.
The Sun (2016)
The piece is 35 minutes long but it could be half that long and be twice as effective.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They were then twice as effective at recognising murmurs in tests.
The Sun (2007)
But twice coming back from two sets down against him does help your mentality.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The longterm unemployed are ill for almost twice as many days as workers.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It will certainly make us think twice about hiring more people.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Use a body scrub twice a week to get rid of any rough patches.
The Sun (2013)
By most measures its operations are roughly twice as effective as the industry average.
Davidow, William H. & Uttal, Bro Total Customer Service (The Ultimate Weapon) (1990)
In another cartoonish incident the car was once stolen twice in a day.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But think twice before taking a selfie.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Twice last week sportsmen have proved me spectacularly wrong.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Do this process twice a day to kill the fungi and to treat the irritation.
The Sun (2012)
Twice a week he will take contacts to dinner.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
No wonder the manager will think twice the next time his players ask to go out when overseas.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He said that his approach was to keep prices down so that people would come back twice a month.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He was also twice champion jockey in Ireland before weight issues forced his retirement from the saddle.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He kicked 13 points as the champions twice came from behind to win.
The Sun (2013)
He is twice a world champion but yet to reach Olympic heights.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Each country's fiscal stimulus can be twice as effective in raising domestic output growth if its major trading partners also have a stimulus package.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She has twice been world champion at the distance, most recently at Moscow last month.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
twice
British English: twice /twaɪs/ ADVERB
If something happens twice, it happens two times.
I've met him twice.
American English: twice
Arabic: مَرَّتَيْـن
Brazilian Portuguese: duas vezes
Chinese: 两次
Croatian: dvaput
Czech: dvakrát
Danish: to gange
Dutch: tweemaal
European Spanish: dos veces
Finnish: kahdesti
French: deux fois
German: zweimal
Greek: δις
Italian: due volte
Japanese: 二度
Korean: 두 번
Norwegian: to ganger
Polish: dwa razy
European Portuguese: duas vezes
Romanian: de două ori
Russian: дважды
Latin American Spanish: dos veces
Swedish: två gånger
Thai: สองครั้ง
Turkish: iki kere
Ukrainian: двічі
Vietnamese: hai lần
All related terms of 'twice'
think twice
to consider carefully before deciding (about something)
twice-born
of or pertaining to members of the Indian castes of Brahmins , Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas, who undergo a spiritual rebirth and initiation in adolescence
twice-laid
made from strands of used rope
twice over
If you say that something happened twice over , three times over and so on, you are stating the number of times that it happened and emphasizing that it happened more than once.
twice-told
hackneyed through repeated use
once or twice
If you have done something once or twice , you have done it a few times, but not very often.
to think twice
If you think twice about doing something, you consider it again and decide not to do it, or decide to do it differently.
once bitten, twice shy
You say ' once bitten , twice shy ' when you want to indicate that someone will not do something a second time because they had a bad experience the first time they did it.
lightning does not strike twice
said to mean that someone who has been exceptionally lucky or unlucky is unlikely to have the same good or bad luck again
Chinese translation of 'twice'
twice
(twaɪs)
adv
两(兩)次 (liǎng cì)
twice as much/long as多/长(長)至两(兩)倍 (duō/chángzhì liǎng bèi)
twice a week一周(週)两(兩)次 (yī zhōu liǎng cì)
she is twice your age她年纪(紀)比你大一倍 (tā niánjì bǐ nǐ dà yī bèi)
All related terms of 'twice'
twice daily
每天两(兩)次 měi tiān liǎng cì
twice over
再次 zàicì
twice yearly
( as adv ) 一年两(兩)次地 yī nián liǎng cì de
once or twice
( a few times ) 一两(兩)次 yī liǎng cì
twice a week
一周(週)两(兩)次 yī zhōu liǎng cì
once/twice a week
一周(週)一次/两(兩)次 yī zhōu yī cì/liǎng cì
she is twice your age
她年纪(紀)比你大一倍 tā niánjì bǐ nǐ dà yī bèi
twice as much/long as
多/长(長)至两(兩)倍 duō/chángzhì liǎng bèi
twice as big/good etc as ...
... 的两(兩)倍大/比 ... 好得多 ... de liǎng bèi dà/bǐ ... hǎo de duō
I wash up twice as often as them or as they do
我洗碗的次数(數)是他们(們)的两(兩)倍 wǒ xǐwǎn de cìshù shì tāmen de liǎng bèi
twice as many (as)
( comparison ) (是 ... 的)两(兩)倍 (shì ... de) liǎng bèi ⇒ We produce ten times as many tractors as the United States. → 我们生产的拖拉机是美国的10倍。 Wǒmen shēngchǎn de tuōlājī shì Měiguó de shí bèi.