double-acting
Americanadjective
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(of a reciprocating engine, pump, etc.) having pistons accomplishing work in both directions, fluid being admitted alternately to opposite ends of the cylinders.
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(of a hinge of a door or the like) permitting movement in either direction from the normal, or closed, position.
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having twice the usual effectiveness, strength, use, etc.
adjective
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(of a reciprocating engine or pump) having a piston or pistons that are pressurized alternately on opposite sides Compare single-acting
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(of a hinge, door, etc) having complementary actions in opposed directions
Etymology
Origin of double-acting
First recorded in 1835–45
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.
The Great Depression coincided with the introduction of packaged double-acting baking powder, and that extra boost countered the fruit’s heavy moisture.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 27, 2022
Lots of double-acting baking powder means there’s no need to add salt, and they’ll be lofty with or without eggs, so they can easily be made vegan.
From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2022
Poison is little help: if only a few survive, their double-acting multiplication soon makes them a pest again.
From Time Magazine Archive
They are divided into classes by names indicating their purpose and mode of operation, such as single, double-acting, lift or force, reciprocating or rotary, etc.
From Inventions in the Century by Doolittle, William Henry
One of the earliest of these double-acting engines was erected at the Albion Mills, London, in 1786.
From James Watt by Carnegie, Andrew
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
