double take

American

noun

a rapid or surprised second look, either literal or figurative, at a person or situation whose significance had not been completely grasped at first.

His friends did a double take when they saw how much weight he had lost.

double take British

noun

(esp in comedy) a delayed reaction by a person to a remark, situation, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of double take

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

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:

double take

Matt Burnham did a double take when he and his family got upgraded on a United flight to Peru and saw what was being served in business class.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

But in March, Kevin Vargas did a double take when he saw Nvidia’s announcement of the latest version of the technology.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

Hu observed the insects pausing briefly, almost as if doing a "double take," before gathering nearby.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2026

He'd arrived at the road adjacent to the tree and had to "double take" as he saw it for the first time lying on its side.

From BBC ● May 9, 2025

Matthew nearly collided with a college-aged guy, who did a double take of Matthew’s shirt—the one with five diamond playing cards on it.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023