double check
noun
a simultaneous check by two pieces in which the moving of one piece to give check also results in discovering a check by another piece.
Jump To:
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double check
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double-check
double-checkverb (used with or without object)to check twice or again; recheck.
double check
1 Americannoun
Chess.
double-check
2
American
[duhb-uhl-chek]
/ ˈdʌb əlˈtʃɛk /
verb (used with or without object)
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double-checks,
present (3rd person singular)
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double-checked,
past participle, past
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double-checking
present participle
noun
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double-checks
plural
double-check
British
verb
noun
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a second examination or verification
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chess a simultaneous check from two pieces brought about by moving one piece to give check and thereby revealing a second check from another piece
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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double-checksimple
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double-checkssimple
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have double-checkedperfect
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has double-checkedperfect
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am double-checkingprogressive
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are double-checkingprogressive
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is double-checkingprogressive
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have been double-checkingperfect progressive
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has been double-checkingperfect progressive
Past
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double-checkedsimple
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had double-checkedperfect
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was double-checkingprogressive
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were double-checkingprogressive
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had been double-checkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of double-check
An Americanism dating back to 1950–55
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:
It said various errors were found in the record-keeping, with inspectors advising: “He just needs to double check his work.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
He suggested airline passengers double check with their airline to make sure their reservation is intact.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
Moreover, workers may also have outsize expectations around AI’s automation capabilities, with many of the current tools still requiring workers to double check the completed work for errors.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
It also advises users to double check responses for accuracy - a common caveat accompanying AI chatbots, which can be known to state false information in a matter of fact, convincing way.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025
If he moved the Queen, which is attacked by the Knight, he would expose his King to a deadly double check, viz.:
From Chess and Checkers : the Way to Mastership by Edward Lasker
"I've actually pulled off at the side of the road before a bridge just to double-check I'm the right height," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Just double-check that the spot it chooses is actually open — AI chatbots don’t always use the most up-to-date information.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
The first time he put the camera behind a row of fans, I had to look over the edge of my 3D glasses to double-check that those waving arms weren’t really in my theater.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
It means bad AI output compounded by lazy humans who can’t be troubled to double-check.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Mr. Subramaniam watches over us as we buy our tickets, but I still double-check the change.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
Then he double-checks my claim, asking: “The court hadn’t said it in Students for Fair Admissions?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Even though she has filters set up, Tabacnic always double-checks to make sure her matches are actually where the dating app says they are.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
And someone on a hydraulic lift double-checks each hanging fixture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2024
That’s why a music conductor I know always double-checks with himself just before he hears “maestro to the pit” and must head to the podium to conduct an opera.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 2, 2021
She relieves herself in the sixth-floor toilet and checks her instinct to flush, knowing the toilet will not refill, and double-checks the air to make sure it does not feel warm before continuing.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
They double-checked that both of their names were on all accounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026
In her letter to the DWP, she said she was concerned that Tamara Logan's benefits were cut in error despite being double-checked before a final decision was made.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
Afterward, he double-checked the figures against Bloomberg data and found they were largely consistent.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 5, 2025
The film’s access coordinator Chantelle Nassari also equipped Bode with a fully accessible trailer, double-checked the day’s pathways and ensured the actor had what she needed to be able to perform.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
The old man finished closing up and double-checked the lock on his booth.
From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick
Laker players looked around the meeting room Saturday morning, double-checking with one another to make sure that what they thought they just heard was what JJ Redick actually said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2025
The state appears to have presented a figure without fully explaining its methodology or double-checking the information, said Becker, who is a former senior trial attorney in the voting section of the U.S.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2024
Twinning is a way of double-checking gold is present by drilling next to the place it has been found and taking rock samples.
From BBC ● May 18, 2024
By double-checking that the hyperplane function contains squared values, a human can easily verify that the function is positive, which means the trajectory is collision-free, Amice explains.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2024
Marie is already tossing toppings from the translucent containers into the trash, counting receipts, and double-checking them on the computer.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
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.
