two-party system

[ too-pahr-tee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Government.

a political system consisting chiefly of two major parties, more or less equal in strength.

two-party system

noun

a condition or system in which two major parties dominate a political unit

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Word History and Origins

Origin of two-party system¹

First recorded in 1900–05

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Canada doesn't have a two-party system, even though it has historically voted in conservative or liberal governments in some form.

From

In the context of the US two-party system, they tend to abstain and withdraw from public life.

From

In the U.S. two-party system, it has swallowed one of the two existing parties, usurping the role of conservatism and exploiting traditional party loyalties.

From

If you hate Wall Street, Trump or the two-party system, there’s a lot to work with here.

From

"If you have a two-party system, it can take a really long time before societal tensions reach the top at the political level, and then suddenly you have this takeover by ideological extremists, as we have seen with the Republican Party."

From

two-part time twopence

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