too
advCA, UK /tuː/ · US /tu/
Etymology From Middle English to (“also, in addition to”), from Old English tō (“furthermore, also, besides”), adverbial use of preposition tō (“to, into”). The sense of "in addition, also" deriving from the original meaning of "apart, separately" (compare Old English prefix tō- (“apart”)). Doublet of to; see there for more.
1
Focus Likewise.
- The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
- The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. And, as their ubiquity spreads, so too does the debate around whether we should allow ourselves to become so reliant on them – and who, if anyone, is policing their use.2013 July 26, Leo Hickman, “How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 26:
2
Conjunctive Also, in addition marks a statement as equally valid as the preceding one.
- There has been a cutback in federal subsidies. Rates have been increasing too.
- He's always willing to help. He, too, is generous with his time.
4 more examples
- It is important to remember, too, that she is generous with his time. Sometimes, too, she does ask for the odd favor.
- They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
- The Isk were true symbiotes. The Isk cannot live without the Yoort. And to ensure that this symbiosis would be real, the Yoort, too, were modified. Now Yoort cannot live without Isk and Isk cannot live without Yoort. They are one creature with two parts.1999, K. A. Applegate, The Attack (Animorphs), volume 26:
- Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. Some call it geoeconomics, but it's geopolitics too. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements.2013 July 19, Timothy Garton Ash, “Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 18:
3
To an excessive degree, more than enough indicates that the degree of a quality is more than what is needed or wanted.
- Near-synonyms: extremely, unnecessarily, all too
- I'm still much too young to drive, and my grandpa is already far too old.
3 more examples
- This water is too polluted for us to drink (it).
- […]purſued his vnneighbourly purpoſe in ſuch ſort: that hee being the ſtronger perſwader, and ſhe (belike) too credulous in beleeuing or elſe ouer-feeble in reſiſting, from priuate imparlance, they fell to action; and continued their cloſe fight a long while together, vnſeene and vvithout ſuſpition, no doubt to their equall ioy and contentment.1620, Giovanni Bocaccio, translated by John Florio, The Decameron, Containing an Hundred Pleaſant Nouels: Wittily Diſcourſed, Betweene Seuen Honourable Ladies, and Three Noble Gentlemen, Isaac Iaggard, Nouell 8, The Eighth Day:
- The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.[…]It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber. Other liquids produced in the refining process, too unstable or smoky for lamplight, were burned or dumped.2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
4
Colloquial To a high degree, very.
- She doesn't talk too much. I'm not too sure about this.
5
Childish, Colloquial, Emphatic Used to contradict a negative assertion with present and simple past forms of be, do, and auxiliary verbs
- You're not old enough yet. ― I am too!
- You can't jump that fence. ― Can too jump it!
1 more example
- We haven't been mean to you. ― Have too, plenty of times
6
Archaic, Colloquial Used for emphasis, without reference to any previous statement.
- The trooper thanks his informant and rides slowly on, looking about him. […] He comes to a gateway in the brick wall, looks in, and sees a great perplexity of iron lying about in every stage and in a vast variety of shapes— […] "This is a place to make a man's head ache too!" says the trooper, looking about him for a counting-house.1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:
- Derived terms
87 terms
a bridge too far, all too, and your little dog too, be a hundred years too early, can too, eat one's cake and have it too, enough is too much, fly too close to the sun, go too far, have a few too many, have one's cake and eat it too, hit too close to home, in too deep, it's never too late to mend, it's too expensive, it's too late for sorry, life is too short, life's too short, methinks the lady doth protest too much, methinks thou dost protest too much, me-too, me too, me too-ism, me-too-ism, none too soon, not a minute too soon, not a moment too soon, not to put too fine a point on it, not to put too fine a word on it, not wrapped too tight, one too many, only too, protest too much, speak too soon, spread oneself too thin, take too far, the lady doth protest too much, the world is too much with someone, think too much, this too shall pass, this too shall pass away, too bad, too big for one's boots, too big for one's breeches, too big for one's britches, too big to fail, too big to jail, too clever by half, too close for comfort, too close to call, too close to the sun, too cool for school, too far gone, Toogood, too good for this world, too good to be true, too good to last, too-hard basket, too hard basket, too hot to handle, too hot to hold, too late, too long, didn't read, too many, too many balls in the air, too many chefs spoil the broth, too many chiefs and not enough indians, too many chiefs and not enough Indians, too many cooks spoil the broth, too many cooks spoil the soup, too many cooks spoil the stew, too much bed makes a dull head, too much information, too-muchness, too much of a good thing, too much pudding will choke a dog, too much water drowned the miller, too posh to push, too rich for one's blood, too right, too soon, twirly, way too, wear too many hats, you are never too old to learn, you're never too old to learn- Related terms
- too too