double cross
noun
a betrayal or swindle of a colleague.
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double cross
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double-cross
double-crossverb (used with object)to prove treacherous to; betray or swindle, as by a double cross.
double cross
1 Americannoun
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a betrayal or swindle of a colleague.
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an attempt to win a contest that one has agreed beforehand to lose.
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Genetics. a cross in which both parents are first-generation hybrids from single crosses, thus involving four inbred lines.
double-cross
2
American
[duhb-uhl-kraws, -kros]
/ ˈdʌb əlˈkrɔs, -ˈkrɒs /
verb (used with object)
Informal.
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double-crosses,
present (3rd person singular)
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double-crossed,
past participle, past
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double-crossing
present participle
double-cross
1
British
verb
noun
double cross
2
British
noun
double cross
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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double-crosssimple
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double-crossessimple
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have double-crossedperfect
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has double-crossedperfect
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am double-crossingprogressive
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are double-crossingprogressive
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is double-crossingprogressive
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have been double-crossingperfect progressive
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has been double-crossingperfect progressive
Past
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double-crossedsimple
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had double-crossedperfect
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was double-crossingprogressive
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were double-crossingprogressive
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had been double-crossingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of double cross1
First recorded in 1825–35
Origin of double-cross2
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A sinister orchestral flourish hints at a double cross.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Then a double cross happens, and Rachel learns what some viewers might have suspected — that one of her colleagues is in cahoots with Keya!
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2023
It’s all dangerous deals and double crosses, yet it whiffs on an opportunity for an actually interesting double cross that might have made us sit up and pay attention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2023
But those who don’t keep up with the latest cybercrime trends may feel they have no choice but to acquiesce, and will only grasp the double cross only after the check has cleared.
From Slate ● May 18, 2022
Not since the days of George Blake's double cross had the CIA found itself in such a hall of mirrors.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Though he claims to have mellowed some after years of therapy, his mega-temper still flares if you double-cross or cheap out on a client or a colleague.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
I was sure she’d win last year when the third season of “Hacks” ended with her character, Ava, pulling off a delightful double-cross.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2025
The man won’t talk, but Lillian is one step ahead with a deal — and a double-cross — which ensures the baby’s safe return and the kidnapper’s swift arrest.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2023
No-one knows whether they will double-cross their paymasters by secretly voting for another candidate on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2022
Here there is a very compelling reason to cooperate with and not try to double-cross the other party: you’re probably going to have to do business with him or her again.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
It stalls out when it gets bogged down in backroom conversations that dwell in the details of betrayal and double-crosses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
There’s also 12 years and 11 seasons of back story to keep in mind — and a ton of lore, including flash-forward child births and complex double-crosses.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2024
Metz may envision Steinhauer's story to be a twisty thriller with double-crosses, but the film is edited in ways that defuse the tension and possibly confuse the viewer.
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2022
And as should be the case with any good heist thriller, No Sudden Move gets both darker and funnier as the betrayals and double-crosses pile up.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2021
She figured Sciron would have no trouble believing in double-crosses, being a bandit and all.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Bonnet returned to find that Blackbeard had double-crossed him and dumped most of Bonnet's crew, stripped the Revenge of supplies and sailed off with the loot.
From Salon ● May 21, 2022
“At this point, we’re feeling a little bit abandoned and a little bit double-crossed by the community we are trying to serve,” Rupp said.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2022
After Slone double-crossed you and left you to perish on the Mothership, the cubes that powered it are now free.
From The Verge ● Sep. 13, 2021
It has double-crossed app developers who built businesses on its platform.
From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2019
“She was one of the agents who double-crossed you, right?”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
She also played a double-crossing hotel detective inspector as well as a member of a wedding party singing purposefully off key lyrics, inspired by “Espresso,” to expose bad behavior at the bachelorette party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2024
Upon detecting DNA damage, LexA will activate the phage's replicate-and-kill genes, essentially double-crossing the cell into committing suicide while allowing the phage to escape.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2022
Lyrically, the song's about a double-crossing lover - and there's a scene in one trailer where Bond confronts Madeleine Swann about her betrayal.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2021
He was the never-to-be-trusted adopted brother of the Mighty Thor, always double-crossing the God of Thunder but never losing his love.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2021
Entire plots were hatched around swiping food, complete with double-crossing, backstabbing, intrigue, outright robbery, and gobbled evidence.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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