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
Miss Tog and I can double check here.
From Ultima Thule by Mack Reynolds
A lot will depend on how you use the tool, what questions you ask and whether you verify the sources used and double-check the findings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 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
Olson said he is now more inclined to double-check AI output after learning Gemini had invented the entire exchange.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
“The police can double-check it, but I’m convinced. It proves the children were here.”
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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
For example, one arm of the AI generates the response, and another instantly double-checks it to make sure it’s safe before letting it through to the user.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2025
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
Far up a third climb, Werner unfolds the map and double-checks his bearings with a compass.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
I wondered if McGregor would have quibbled with his Obi-Wan’s patchy blond beard, but when I went back and double-checked the film, it is that scraggly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
If I hadn’t double-checked the tickets, we would have missed the 9:33 a.m. departure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
After hearing its predictions for the Sweet 16 round I double-checked the data.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026
The rosy saxifrage is listed as extinct but Robbie, a skilled climber, still double-checked.
From BBC ● May 24, 2024
Still, Cat double-checked that the sliding door was locked before she left.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
When she should have been double-checking details with the caterer and the florist, she was monitoring the progress of a monster blaze that moved from the horizon to her old neighborhood in half an afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 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
Many of the studies dated back to the 19th century, before the advent of modern scientific imaging, or cited claims from those older studies made without double-checking them.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
For him, grappling with the problem properly will involve training people to be more critical about the content they are consuming, including viewing everything with "a healthy scepticism", and double-checking sources.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2024
“No, I suppose not,” she replies, double-checking her map.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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