double-book

American

[duhb-uhl-book] / ˈdʌb əlˈbʊk /

verb (used with object)

to overbook by accepting more than one reservation for the same hotel room, airplane seat, etc.
to make reservations for (more than one hotel accommodation, seat on a plane, etc.) so as to be certain of obtaining at least one of them.

verb (used without object)

to make double reservations for passenger space, a hotel room, etc.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of double-book

First recorded in 1965–70

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-book double-books double-booked double-booking

"There is school work, appointments, shopping… all constantly demanding our attention. We used to double-book ourselves, waiting to get back home to look at a calendar, or shopping list on the fridge."

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2022

It’d add a fun little frisson to the Olympic 3x3 matches if the IOC were to deliberately double-book the 3x3 games with, say, badminton.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2021

He said he’ll only be able to use every other chair and isn’t allowed to double-book appointments.

From Washington Times ● May 27, 2020

So his attempt to double-book the night ended in a solo night for him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2016

Officials at the authority defended its decision to double-book the hearings, noting that a small group of protesters usually testify several different times, often in regions where they do not live.

From New York Times ● Apr. 12, 2010

She plans a ski getaway with her best friend, but the resort mistakenly double-books them with two eligible men, including Ben, an entrepreneur.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2019

Patients who are deemed unlikely to show up for a visit are more likely to be double-booked.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024

It means that State Farm Arena is double-booked for Thursday night.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

The problem is, the seabed's double-booked, and something has to give.

From Reuters ● Jan. 24, 2023

I thought of a double-booked Airbnb and a woman cohabiting there or sleeping in her car.

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2022

A more senior doctor was meant to be in charge that day, but he had double-booked himself with teaching commitments and not arrived at work.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2021

Later, an anonymous faculty member alerted Spellberg to double-booking among cardiologists.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2022

The Capitanes are an important part of the N.B.A.’s push into Mexico, but the double-booking was not a problem for them.

From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2021

And while it occurs in many specialties, double-booking is believed to be most common in orthopedics, cardiac surgery and neurosurgery.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 10, 2017

Sometimes, we end up double-booking anyway, because life’s like that, but it helps get that out in front instead of dealing with it after small children build up expectations or you have put down deposits.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2015

She had a double-booking - and opted to attend the inauguration of the new Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2010

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