double-cross

[ duhb-uh l-kraws, -kros ]
/ ˈdʌb əlˈkrɔs, -ˈkrɒs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR double-cross ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object) Informal.

to prove treacherous to; betray or swindle, as by a double cross.

QUIZZES

PRACTICE SOME ESCAPISM WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

We salute you if you remember all the doovers from Word of the Day between May 25 and May 31!
Question 1 of 7
salute
to call out to in order to stop, attract attention, ask aid, etc.
to wield power; exercise rule.
to express respect or praise for; honor; commend.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of double-cross

First recorded in 1900–05

OTHER WORDS FROM double-cross

dou·ble-cross·er, noun

Words nearby double-cross

double-channel catheter, double-check, double-clutch, double-crested cormorant, double-crop, double-cross, double-crostic, double-cut, double-date, double-deal, double-dealing

Definition for double-cross (2 of 2)

double cross

noun

a betrayal or swindle of a colleague.
an attempt to win a contest that one has agreed beforehand to lose.Compare cross(def 21).
Genetics. a cross in which both parents are first-generation hybrids from single crosses, thus involving four inbred lines.

Origin of double cross

First recorded in 1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to double-cross

beguile, betray, bluff, cheat, con, cross, deceive, defraud, dupe, hoodwink, humbug, juggle, mislead, scam, sell, split, swindle, trick, two-time, four-flush

Example sentences from the Web for double-cross

British Dictionary definitions for double-cross (1 of 2)

double-cross

verb

(tr) to cheat or betray

noun

the act or an instance of double-crossing; betrayal

Derived forms of double-cross

double-crosser, noun

British Dictionary definitions for double-cross (2 of 2)

double cross

noun

a technique for producing hybrid stock, esp seed for cereal crops, by crossing the hybrids between two different pairs of inbred lines
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

Idioms and Phrases with double-cross

double cross

A deliberate betrayal; violation of a promise or obligation, as in They had planned a double cross, intending to keep all of the money for themselves. This usage broadens the term's earlier sense in sports gambling, where it alluded to the duplicity of a contestant who breaks his word after illicitly promising to lose. Both usages gave rise to the verb double-cross. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.