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double
[ duhb-uhl ]
adjective
- twice as large, heavy, strong, etc.; twofold in size, amount, number, extent, etc.:
a double portion; a new house double the size of the old one.
- composed of two like parts or members; twofold in form; paired:
double doors; a double sink.
- of, relating to, or suitable for two persons:
a double room.
- twofold in character, meaning, or conduct; dual or ambiguous:
a double interpretation.
Assuming the identity of the deceased man, the salesman began leading a double life, keeping it secret from his live-in girlfriend.
- (of musical instruments) producing a tone an octave lower than the notes indicate.
- duple, as time or rhythm.
- folded in two; having one half folded over the other.
- (of a bed or bedclothes) full-size:
a double blanket.
- Botany. (of flowers) having many more than the normal number of petals:
double petunias; double hollyhocks.
noun
- anything that is twofold in size or amount or twice the usual size, quantity, strength, etc.
- a duplicate or counterpart; something exactly or closely resembling another:
This dress is the double of that.
He is the double of his cousin.
- Also called double room. a type of hotel accommodation with two beds, or sometimes a double bed, for occupancy by two persons. Compare twin 1( def 4 ).
- a fold or plait.
- an alcoholic drink containing twice the usual amount of alcohol.
- a sudden backward turn or bend, as of a fox on the run in fox hunting; reversal.
- a trick or artifice, as of argument in a formal debate.
- a substitute actor or singer ready to take another's place, especially onstage; understudy.
- Movies, Television.
- a substitute who performs feats or actions too hazardous or difficult for a star.
- Baseball. two-base hit.
- Military. double time.
- doubles, (used with a singular verb) a game or match in which there are two players on each side, as in tennis.
- (in bridge or other card games)
- a challenge by an opponent that the declarer cannot fulfill the designated contract, increasing the points to be won or lost.
- a hand that warrants such a challenge.
- Bridge. a conventional bid informing one's partner that a player's hand is of a certain strength.
- Bowling. two strikes in succession:
He needed a double in the tenth frame to win.
- any of certain feasts in the Roman Catholic Church, marked by a doubled antiphon and taking precedence over lesser feasts.
- Music Rare. a variation.
- a former coin of France, the sixth part of a sol, issued in silver in the 14th century, later made of copper.
verb (used with object)
- to make double or twice as great; to add an equal amount to:
The baby doubled its weight in a year.
- to bend or fold with or as with one part over another (often followed by over, up, back, etc.):
Double the edge over before sewing.
- to clench:
He doubled his fists.
- to be or have twice as much as:
Income doubled expenditure.
- Nautical.
- to sail around (a projecting area of land):
to double Cape Horn.
- to add a new layer of planking or ceiling to (an old wooden hull).
- to pair; couple:
The players were doubled for the tournament.
- Music. to reduplicate by means of a tone in another part, either at the unison or at an octave above or below.
- (in bridge and other card games)
- to challenge (the bid of an opponent) by making a call that increases the value of tricks to be won or lost.
- to challenge the bid of (an opponent):
He doubled me into game.
- Baseball.
- to cause the advance of (a base runner) by a two-base hit:
He doubled him to third.
- to cause (a run) to be scored by a two-base hit (often followed by in ):
He doubled in the winning run.
- to put out (a base runner) as the second out of a double play (often followed by up ).
verb (used without object)
- to become double:
My money doubled in three years.
- to bend or fold (often followed by up or over ):
to double over with pain.
- to turn back on a course or reverse direction (often followed by back ):
He doubled back by another road and surprised us.
- Military. to march at the double-time pace.
- to serve in two capacities or in an additional capacity:
She doubles as producer and director.
- to act as a double in a play, motion picture, or the like.
- Music. to play an instrument besides one's regular instrument (usually followed by on ):
The saxophonist doubles on drums.
- (in bridge and other card games) to double the bid of an opponent.
- Baseball. to make a two-base hit.
- to double-date.
adverb
- to twice the amount, number, extent, etc.; twofold; doubly.
- two together:
There are only a few beds, so some of the children will have to sleep double for the night.
verb phrase
- to share quarters planned for only one person or family:
Because of the room shortage, we had to double up.
- to bend over, as from pain:
He doubled up in agony.
double
/ ˈdʌbəl /
adjective
- as much again in size, strength, number, etc
a double portion
- composed of two equal or similar parts; in a pair; twofold
a double egg cup
- designed for two users
a double room
- folded in two; composed of two layers
double paper
- stooping; bent over
- having two aspects or existing in two different ways; ambiguous
a double meaning
- false, deceitful, or hypocritical
a double life
- (of flowers) having more than the normal number of petals
- maths
- (of a root) being one of two equal roots of a polynomial equation
- (of an integral) having an integrand containing two independent variables requiring two integrations, in each of which one variable is kept constant
- music
- (of an instrument) sounding an octave lower than the pitch indicated by the notation
a double bass
- (of time) duple, usually accompanied by the direction alla breve
adverb
- twice over; twofold
- two together; two at a time (esp in the phrase see double )
noun
- twice the number, amount, size, etc
- a double measure of spirits, such as whisky or brandy
- a duplicate or counterpart, esp a person who closely resembles another; understudy
- a wraith or ghostly apparition that is the exact counterpart of a living person; doppelgänger
- a sharp turn, esp a return on one's own tracks
- an evasive shift or artifice; trick
- an actor who plays two parts in one play
- bridge a call that increases certain scoring points if the last preceding bid becomes the contract
- billiards snooker a strike in which the object ball is struck so as to make it rebound against the cushion to an opposite pocket
- a bet on two horses in different races in which any winnings from the horse in the first race are placed on the horse in the later race
- often capital RC Church one of the higher-ranking feasts on which the antiphons are recited both before and after the psalms
- music an ornamented variation in 16th and 17th century music
- Also calleddouble time a pace of twice the normal marching speed
- tennis See double fault
- the narrow outermost ring on a dartboard
- a hit on this ring
- at the double or on the double
- at twice normal marching speed
- quickly or immediately
verb
- to make or become twice as much
- to bend or fold (material, a bandage, etc)
- trsometimes foll byup to clench (a fist)
- tr; often foll by together or up to join or couple
he doubled up the team
- tr to repeat exactly; copy
- intr to play two parts or serve two roles
- intr to turn sharply; follow a winding course
- nautical to sail around (a headland or other point)
- music
- to duplicate (a voice or instrumental part) either in unison or at the octave above or below it
- intrusually foll byon to be capable of performing (upon an instrument additional to one's normal one)
the third trumpeter doubles on cornet
- bridge to make a call that will double certain scoring points if the preceding bid becomes the contract
- billiards snooker to cause (a ball) to rebound or (of a ball) to rebound from a cushion across or up or down the table
- chess
- to cause two pawns of the same colour to be on the same file
- to place both rooks of the same colour on the same rank or the same file
- intrfoll byfor to act as substitute (for an actor or actress)
- intr to go or march at twice the normal speed
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Derived Forms
- ˈdoubler, noun
- ˈdoubleness, noun
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Other Words From
- dou·ble·ness noun
- dou·bler noun
- qua·si-dou·ble adjective
- qua·si-dou·bly adverb
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of double1
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Idioms and Phrases
- at the double, British Informal. on the double.
- double in brass, Informal. to serve in two capacities; be able to do work different from one's own:
It is a small firm, and everyone doubles in brass when emergencies arise.
- double or nothing, a bet having as its outcome either the doubling of a previous loss or debt or the canceling of that loss or debt. Also double or quits.
- on the double, Informal.
- without delay; rapidly:
The fire engines came on the double.
- in double time, as marching troops.
More idioms and phrases containing double
- lead a double life
- on the double
- see double
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Related Words
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.
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