TERRIBLE TWOS Definition & Meaning

terrible twos

[ ter-uh-buhl tooz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural noun

a developmental phase in some toddlers characterized by temper tantrums, mood swings, defiance, and territorial behaviors:
The terrible twos have reduced my kiddo’s vocabulary to two words, “mine” and “no!”

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of terrible twos¹

First recorded in 1950–55

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

According to Long, the pup was in a stage akin to the terrible twos.

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Over and over in this year’s films, male characters throw elaborate temper tantrums, whining, huffing and raging like toddlers in their terrible twos.

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Briggs said the “terrible twos” and “challenging threes” are known as such for a good reason.

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On her third birthday, she overheard my husband saying to me that the year of the terrible twos was finally coming to an end.

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Yet few parents survive the terrible twos unscathed by humiliation and opprobrium as they struggle to calm children who are acting out in public.

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