duos

IPA/ˈdʒuː.əʊ/
IPA/ˈduː.oʊ/

duos — noun

  • duossingular
  • duosesplural

1. two people who sing, play instruments, or perform together as a pair, such as a

1.名詞B1
釋義

two people who sing, play instruments, or perform together as a pair, such as a musical duo or a comedy duo

例句

The acoustic duo played folk songs at the café last Saturday.

duo + played — verb collocation for performing groups

Hannah and Asher formed a comedy duo during their first year at drama school.

formed a comedy duo — common verb + noun combination

同義詞
  • pair

    neutral term for any two items or people; less specific about performing

  • twosome

    informal, often used for any two people together

  • duet

    refers specifically to a musical composition or performance by two people, not the people themselves

反義詞
  • solo

    a single performer

  • trio

    a group of three performers

用法筆記

This sense is the most common use of 'duo' and refers specifically to a performing pair. For non-performing pairs of people (e.g., friends or siblings), use 'pair' or 'twosome' instead.

常見錯誤

❌The band is a duo with three guitarists.
✅The band is a trio with three guitarists.
💡'duo' means exactly two people, not three or more.
❌My brother and I are a duo when we go shopping.
✅My brother and I are a pair when we go shopping.
💡'duo' strongly suggests a performing or professional partnership, not just two people doing something together casually.

2. any two people or things that go together or are considered as a matched set

2.名詞B2
釋義

any two people or things that go together or are considered as a matched set

例句

The competition judges divided the dancers into duos for the final round.

into duos — common prepositional phrase pattern

Min arranged the porcelain vases in duos along the hallway shelf.

in duos — prepositional phrase showing arrangement

同義詞
  • pair

    the more common and natural word for any two matched items or people

  • couple

    often implies a romantic partnership or two of the same kind

  • twosome

    informal, slightly playful tone

反義詞
  • single

    one item or person on its own

常見錯誤

❌We bought a duo of tickets for the show.
✅We bought a pair of tickets for the show.
💡'a pair of' is the standard expression for two matching items; 'a duo of' is not idiomatic.