duplicate

American  

[doo-pli-kit, dyoo-, doo-pli-keyt, dyoo-] / ˈdu plɪ kɪt, ˈdyu-, ˈdu plɪˌkeɪt, ˈdyu- /

noun

1. a copy exactly like an original.

   Synonyms:

   reproduction, replica, facsimile

   Antonyms:

   original

2. anything corresponding in all respects to something else.

3. Cards. a duplicate game.

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verb (used with object)

duplicated, duplicating

1. to make an exact copy of.

2. to do or perform again; repeat.

   He duplicated his father's way of standing with his hands in his pockets.

3. to double; make twofold.

verb (used without object)

duplicated, duplicating

1. to become duplicate.

adjective

1. exactly like or corresponding to something else.

   duplicate copies of a letter.

2. consisting of or existing in two identical or corresponding parts; double.

   Synonyms:

   twofold

3. Cards. noting a game in which each team plays a series of identical hands, the winner being the team making the best total score.

idioms

1. in duplicate, in two copies, especially two identical copies.

   Please type the letter in duplicate.

duplicate British  

/ ˈdjuːplɪkəbəl /

adjective

1. copied exactly from an original

2. identical

3. existing as a pair or in pairs; twofold

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noun

1. an exact copy; double

2. something additional or supplementary of the same kind

3. two exact copies (esp in the phrase in duplicate )

verb

1. (tr) to make a replica of

2. (tr) to do or make again

3. (tr) to make in a pair; make double

4. (intr) biology to reproduce by dividing into two identical parts

   the chromosomes duplicated in mitosis

Related Words

See imitate.

Other Word Forms

• duplicability
  noun
• duplicable
  adjective
• duplicately
  adverb
• duplicative
  adjective
• nonduplicating
  adjective
• preduplicate
  verb (used with object)
• quasi-duplicate
  adjective
• self-duplicating
  adjective
• unduplicated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of duplicate

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin duplicātus (past participle of duplicāre “to make double”), equivalent to duplic- (stem of duplex ) duplex + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

Duplicate describes something that's an exact copy. If you tend to accidentally lock yourself out of your car, it's a good idea to carry a duplicate key with you just in case. The word duplicate is useful when you're talking about a copy of something, like a duplicate of your birth certificate that you keep in a file, or a duplicate driver's license that you apply for after losing the original one. The verb duplicate is pronounced differently, with a long a sound, and it means to make a copy of or to multiply times two. The Latin root, duplicatus, means "to double."

Example Sentences

Duplicate entries for spending or contributions as well as other errors also find their way into the records.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2023

Duplicate counts of patients facing more than one serious complication were removed whenever possible, however, double-counting may have slightly reduced the calculated safety rate for some studies.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2023

Duplicate your outreach with direct messages, emails or any other places your potential guests usually communicate.

From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2022

Duplicate tests were just one element of a failed operation.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2020

She and her sister, the wife of a soldier stationed at Fort Monroe, entered the laboratory’s Duplicate Bridge tournament in 1947 and took second place.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• clone
• copy
• imitate
• mirror
• replicate
• reproduce