"two by four" meaning in English

See two by four in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: two by fours [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} two by four (plural two by fours)
  1. (chiefly Canada, US) A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimension or dimensional lumber). Tags: Canada, US Categories (topical): Buildings, Carpentry Translations (A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches): бичме́ (bičmé) (Bulgarian), kakkosnelonen (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-two_by_four-en-noun-V-C9lhje Disambiguation of Buildings: 37 30 33 Disambiguation of Carpentry: 43 18 39 Categories (other): American English, Canadian English, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 43 15 42 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 37 34 29 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 31 35 34 Disambiguation of 'A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches': 99 0 1
  2. (chiefly Canada, US, dated) A small, modest building. Tags: Canada, US, dated Categories (topical): Buildings, Carpentry
    Sense id: en-two_by_four-en-noun-hj1HrZ8Z Disambiguation of Buildings: 37 30 33 Disambiguation of Carpentry: 43 18 39 Categories (other): American English, Canadian English, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 43 15 42 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 37 34 29 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 31 35 34
  3. Alternative form of two-by-four (“kind of pornographic comic book”) Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: two-by-four (extra: kind of pornographic comic book) Categories (topical): Buildings, Carpentry Derived forms: clue-by-four Related terms: four by two
    Sense id: en-two_by_four-en-noun-ALzuzPMz Disambiguation of Buildings: 37 30 33 Disambiguation of Carpentry: 43 18 39 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 43 15 42 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 37 34 29 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 31 35 34

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for two by four meaning in English (6.2kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "two by fours",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "two by four (plural two by fours)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Canadian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 15 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 34 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "31 35 34",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 30 33",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Buildings",
          "orig": "en:Buildings",
          "parents": [
            "Buildings and structures",
            "Architecture",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Society",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 18 39",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Carpentry",
          "orig": "en:Carpentry",
          "parents": [
            "Construction",
            "Woodworking",
            "Architecture",
            "Engineering",
            "Crafts",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Technology",
            "Society",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1959, Nat King Cole, Oh, Mary, don't you weep.",
          "text": "Well, Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, And smote the water with a two by four",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "Date debatable, Ledbelly - from a traditional folk song, Linin' Track\nMoses stood on the Red Sea shore, smotin' that water with a two by four"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimension or dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "id": "en-two_by_four-en-noun-V-C9lhje",
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "sawn",
          "sawn"
        ],
        [
          "wood",
          "wood"
        ],
        [
          "cross section",
          "cross section"
        ],
        [
          "inches",
          "inches"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US) A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimension or dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "bičmé",
          "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
          "word": "бичме́"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
          "word": "kakkosnelonen"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Canadian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 15 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 34 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "31 35 34",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 30 33",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Buildings",
          "orig": "en:Buildings",
          "parents": [
            "Buildings and structures",
            "Architecture",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Society",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 18 39",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Carpentry",
          "orig": "en:Carpentry",
          "parents": [
            "Construction",
            "Woodworking",
            "Architecture",
            "Engineering",
            "Crafts",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Technology",
            "Society",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1930, George, Ira Gershwin, But Not for Me",
          "text": "He'll plan a two by four/But not for me.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small, modest building."
      ],
      "id": "en-two_by_four-en-noun-hj1HrZ8Z",
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US, dated) A small, modest building."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "dated"
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "kind of pornographic comic book",
          "word": "two-by-four"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "43 15 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 34 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "31 35 34",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 30 33",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Buildings",
          "orig": "en:Buildings",
          "parents": [
            "Buildings and structures",
            "Architecture",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Society",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 18 39",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Carpentry",
          "orig": "en:Carpentry",
          "parents": [
            "Construction",
            "Woodworking",
            "Architecture",
            "Engineering",
            "Crafts",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Technology",
            "Society",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 100",
          "word": "clue-by-four"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of two-by-four (“kind of pornographic comic book”)"
      ],
      "id": "en-two_by_four-en-noun-ALzuzPMz",
      "links": [
        [
          "two-by-four",
          "two-by-four#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 100",
          "word": "four by two"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Lumber#Dimensional_lumber"
  ],
  "word": "two by four"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "en:Buildings",
    "en:Carpentry"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "clue-by-four"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "two by fours",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "two by four (plural two by fours)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "four by two"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "Canadian English",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1959, Nat King Cole, Oh, Mary, don't you weep.",
          "text": "Well, Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, And smote the water with a two by four",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "Date debatable, Ledbelly - from a traditional folk song, Linin' Track\nMoses stood on the Red Sea shore, smotin' that water with a two by four"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimension or dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "sawn",
          "sawn"
        ],
        [
          "wood",
          "wood"
        ],
        [
          "cross section",
          "cross section"
        ],
        [
          "inches",
          "inches"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US) A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimension or dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "Canadian English",
        "English dated terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1930, George, Ira Gershwin, But Not for Me",
          "text": "He'll plan a two by four/But not for me.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small, modest building."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US, dated) A small, modest building."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "dated"
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "kind of pornographic comic book",
          "word": "two-by-four"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of two-by-four (“kind of pornographic comic book”)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "two-by-four",
          "two-by-four#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "bičmé",
      "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
      "word": "бичме́"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
      "word": "kakkosnelonen"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Lumber#Dimensional_lumber"
  ],
  "word": "two by four"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.