doubt
to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe: The police have good reason to doubt his alibi.
to distrust; regard with suspicion: I doubted the salesman, so we decided to check with other dealers.
Archaic. to fear; be apprehensive about.
to be uncertain about something; be undecided in opinion or belief: The priest told me that it was normal to doubt, but encouraged me to nurture my faith.
a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something: We all had our doubts about your mysterious Canadian girlfriend since no one has ever seen her in person.
distrust or suspicion: Voters naturally held some doubt about the abrupt change in policy direction issued by city hall.
a general feeling of uncertainty, worry, or concern: As soon as I'd dropped out of school to become a full-time musician, I was full of doubt—what if I’d made a terrible mistake?Set your doubts aside, and listen to my business idea with an open mind.
a state of affairs such as to occasion uncertainty.
Obsolete. fear; dread.
Idioms about doubt
beyond a / the shadow of a doubt, with certainty; definitely. : Also beyond a doubt, beyond doubt.
in doubt, in a state of uncertainty or suspense: His appointment to the position is still in doubt.
no doubt,
certainly: There is no doubt an element of truth in what you say.
without doubt, unquestionably; certainly.
Origin of doubt
1usage note For doubt
The expressions doubt but and doubt but that occur in all varieties of standard speech and writing: I don't doubt but she is sincere. There is no doubt but that the charges will affect his career. Doubt but what occurs mainly in informal speech and writing: There is no doubt but what the rainy weather will hurt the crops.
Other words for doubt
Other words from doubt
- doubt·a·ble, adjective
- doubt·a·bly, adverb
- doubt·er, noun
- doubt·ing·ly, adverb
- doubt·ing·ness, noun
- non·doubt·a·ble, adjective
- non·doubt·er, noun
- non·doubt·ing, adjective
- non·doubt·ing·ly, adverb
- o·ver·doubt, verb (used with object)
- pre·doubt, noun, verb
- pre·doubt·er, noun
- un·doubt·a·ble, adjective
- un·doubt·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use doubt in a sentence
In the first place, it is the prerogative of a Christian to be conqueror over doubt.
Sermons Preached at Brighton | Frederick W. RobertsonHow eloquently the order of thought in these two verses speaks of the complete triumph over doubt!
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 2 | Alexander MaclarenIs our faith stronger and more victorious over doubt and fear?
Bunyan Characters | Alexander Whyte
British Dictionary definitions for doubt
/ (daʊt) /
uncertainty about the truth, fact, or existence of something (esp in the phrases in doubt, without doubt, beyond a shadow of doubt, etc)
(often plural) lack of belief in or conviction about something: all his doubts about the project disappeared
an unresolved difficulty, point, etc
philosophy the methodical device, esp in the philosophy of Descartes, of identifying certain knowledge as the residue after rejecting any proposition which might, however improbably, be false
obsolete fear
give someone the benefit of the doubt to presume someone suspected of guilt to be innocent; judge leniently
no doubt almost certainly
(tr; may take a clause as object) to be inclined to disbelieve: I doubt we are late
(tr) to distrust or be suspicious of: he doubted their motives
(intr) to feel uncertainty or be undecided
(tr; may take a clause as object) Scot to be inclined to believe
(tr) archaic to fear
I wouldn't doubt someone Irish I would expect nothing else from someone
Origin of doubt
1usage For doubt
Derived forms of doubt
- doubtable, adjective
- doubtably, adverb
- doubter, noun
- doubtingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with doubt
see beyond a doubt; cast doubt on; give the benefit of the doubt; no doubt; shadow of a doubt.
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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