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• double time
  double time

  noun

  the fastest rate of marching troops, a slow jog in which 180 paces, each of 3 feet (0.9 meters), are taken in a minute.
• double-time
  double-time

  verb (used with object)

  to cause to move in double time.

double time

¹ American  

noun

1. U.S. Army. the fastest rate of marching troops, a slow jog in which 180 paces, each of 3 feet (0.9 meters), are taken in a minute.

2. a slow run by troops in step.

3. a rate of overtime pay that is twice the regular wage rate.

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double-time ² American  

[duhb-uhl-tahym] / ˈdʌb əlˌtaɪm /

verb (used with object)

double-timed, double-timing

1. to cause to move in double time.

   Double-time the troops to the mess hall.

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verb (used without object)

double-timed, double-timing

1. to move in double time.

double time British  

noun

1. a doubled wage rate, paid for working on public holidays, etc

2. music

   1. a time twice as fast as an earlier section

   2. two beats per bar

3. a slow running pace, keeping in step

4. army a fast march of 180 paces to the minute

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verb

1. to move or cause to move in double time

Etymology

Origin of double time¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Origin of double-time²

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

double time double-time double-timed double-timing

They can include time-and-a-half or double time, testing in a separate room to reduce distractions or having unlimited breaks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

A small crew of bartenders are working double time to serve up wings, french fries and tropical-themed cocktails.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025

“If I need to make something from scratch, I need to work double time before I finish the product,” she explains.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024

"So all of you people feel underused now, get a good night's sleep, because next year you're going to be working double time," he said.

From Reuters ● Nov. 15, 2023

My heart thudded, stuttered, and then picked up again in double time.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

The rushing double-time builds and releases of trance are heard on “Love Sensation.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Among aficionados, Skibadee was renowned for his collaborations with fellow jungle and drum and bass MC Shabba D; and the 2Xfreestyle project, which merged drum and bass tempos with hip-hop beats, creating the double-time effect.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2022

True to the name of his burgeoning genre, Glaive’s music has a punky, proudly frenetic energy, with buzzing synth riffs and highly processed vocals over distorted beats that can explode suddenly into double-time spasms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

Cashews work double-time in this recipe, creating a nutty crust and creamy filling, ready to be topped with your very favorite summer fruit.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2021

Reynie’s heart, already beating double-time, kicked into a higher gear.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

They double-timed it back to grab them, but officials hit them with a delay of game penalty — officially deemed an administrative technical foul — because the start had to be postponed a few minutes.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2023

Gart lost five pounds, and says he hasn't done so much footwork since he double-timed across Germany from the Rhine to the Elbe with the Ninth Army in World War II.

From Time Magazine Archive

He double-timed all the way back into town and invested all his savings in a wool cap with earflaps and a pair of bicycle goggles.

From Time Magazine Archive

Another student, dressed as Cleaveland, rowed up, declared: "This place is too dirty to build a colony," and double-timed back down the river to the almost equally scabrous Lake Erie.

From Time Magazine Archive

We did an about-face at 12th Street and double-timed back to the folks.

From History of Ambulance Company Number 139 by Various

If only Rose and Frankie would dump the double-timing bastard and go off with each other or run for office or take up painting restoration.

From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2011

As usual, the general is double-timing on his new job.

From Time Magazine Archive

Here I've been, dressed in fatigues and combat boots, double-timing in platoon formation without realizing the social significance of my actions.

From Time Magazine Archive

Kennedy's competitive instincts were aroused by an old T.R. order requiring that all Marine Corps company officers be able to march 50 miles in 20 hours, double-timing the last 700 yds.

From Time Magazine Archive

And the next thing Fred knew Captain Fulton's men were again double-timing up another street, whirling the crowd before them.

From Harper's Round Table, August 20, 1895 by Various