put two and two together and make five

verb

To come to the wrong conclusion; to make a false inference.

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Meanings

verbput two and two together and make five (third-person singular simple present puts two and two together and makes five, present participle putting two and two together and making five, simple past and past participle put two and two together and made five)

present singular third person puts two and two together and makes five · participle present putting two and two together and making five · participle past put two and two together and made five · past put two and two together and made five

  1. To come to the wrong conclusion; to make a false inference.

Origin

Extension of put two and two together.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

put two and two together and make five. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20two%20and%20two%20together%20and%20make%20five

MLA

“put two and two together and make five.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20two%20and%20two%20together%20and%20make%20five. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put two and two together and make five,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20two%20and%20two%20together%20and%20make%20five.

Source: put two and two together and make five on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.