adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Alternative spelling of two by four. alt-of, alternative

   "“I think the best way I can describe it is sort of like hitting a mule with a two-by-four across the nose,” he continued"

2. 2
   a timber measuring (slightly under) 2 inches by 4 inches in cross section wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Measuring two inches by four inches.
2. 2
   Small or cramped. broadly

Synonyms

All synonyms

beambilletboardclapboardcordcramped

Example

More examples

"They both wore the faces of someone who’d been smacked in the gut by a two-by-four."

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.