too
Americanadverb
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in addition; also; furthermore; moreover.
young, clever, and rich too.
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to an excessive extent or degree; beyond what is desirable, fitting, or right.
too sick to travel.
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more, as specified, than should be.
too near the fire.
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(used as an affirmative to contradict a negative statement).
I am too!
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extremely; very.
She wasn't too pleased with his behavior.
idioms
adverb
-
as well; in addition; also
can I come too?
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in or to an excessive degree; more than a fitting or desirable amount
I have too many things to do
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extremely
you're too kind
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informal indeed: used to reinforce a command
you will too do it!
-
certainly; indeed
Usage
What's the difference between too, to, and two? Too means also (I’m going, too) or to an excessive degree (too much). To is a very common word that performs many different functions, such as expressing direction (I’m driving to the office) or contact (Pin it to the wall), indicating an object or recipient (Give it to me), or setting a range (9 to 5) or limit (These go to 11). Two is the number equal to one plus one. The words are used in very different ways: too is an adverb, to is most commonly used as a preposition, and two is a number that can be used as a noun or an adjective. Perhaps the most common mistake involving the three words is using to when it should be too, or vice versa. Remember, if you mean to, don’t use too many o’s!Here’s an example of too, to, and two used correctly in the same sentence. Example: We went to two two-star restaurants, and it was two two-star restaurants too many!Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between too, to, and two.
Etymology
Origin of too
First recorded before 900; Middle English to, Old English, stressed variant of to (for the adverb); spelling too since the 16th century
Explanation
Depending how you use it, too can mean two slightly different things: "excessively" ("Human beings are too weird") or "also" ("I think so too — let's go back to Mars.") The two versions of too should not be confused with to (or two), but all three words came from the same origin, the Old English word to, which meant "in the direction of." If someone said "I want to go to the joust," she was literally saying, "I want to go in the direction of the joust," and if you said, "I want to go to the joust, too," you were literally saying, "I want to go in the direction of the person going in the direction of the joust." You can begin to see why short words like to and too are handy.
Vocabulary lists containing too
Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice, Unit 3
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Spelling Practice, Unit 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The artificial-intelligence conversation has predominantly surrounded the U.S. and China, but, according to Bank of America, a number of other markets stand to gain, too.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
The products, which were sold in typical Play-Doh tubs, appeared too close to their kids’ counterparts, despite the differentiated branding and marketing, according to Bunge, who joined Hasbro from the videogames industry in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
Until now, astronomers had mostly detected only the brightest and rarest ancient quasars, leaving too few examples to study the early quasar population as a whole.
From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026
The weaker haul for “Minions & Monsters” has led to questions about whether there are too many family films in theaters, which could affect the reception for the latest iteration of “Moana.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026
She nods and says when she was my age, that’s what she would have asked for, too.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
