double cross

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See synonyms for: double cross / double-crossing / double crosser / double-crosser on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of double cross

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby double cross

double contrast enema, double counterpoint, double cream, double-crested cormorant, double-crop, double cross, Double-Crostic, double crown, double cup, double-cut, double dagger

Other definitions for double cross (2 of 2)

double-cross

[ duhb-uhl-kraws, -kros ]

/ ˈdʌb əlˈkrɔs, -ˈkrɒs /

verb (used with object) Informal.

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

Origin of double-cross

First recorded in 1900–05

OTHER WORDS FROM double-cross

double-crosser, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use double cross in a sentence

Made from recycled ocean plastics and spandex, this fully lined top features a scoop neck, thick straps, a double cross back, and cut-out holes in the front that allow water to pass through.
The Surf Gear I Rely on from Women-Owned Companies|Rebecca Parsons|January 30, 2021|Outside Online
The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and is marked by nine stations of the cross.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If they were meaningful, we might have realized it before—surely one of these kids wore a cross, or a yarmulke, or a hijab?
Harry Potter and the Torah of Terror|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And Ollie says, ‘Oh, I see, well, let me have two double vodka martinis.’
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The reason: activist government and unionized government often work at cross purposes.
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats|Daniel DiSalvo|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What do you get when you cross an oil company with gay rights?
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline|Jay Michaelson|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under the one-sixth they appear as slender, highly refractive fibers with double contour and, often, curled or split ends.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
In cross-section the burrows varied from round (three inches in diameter) to oval (three inches high and four inches wide).
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
In treble, second and fourth, the first change is a dodge behind; and the second time the treble leads, there's a double Bob.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
I cannot believe that God would think it necessary to come on earth as a man, and die on the Cross.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
All things are double, one against another, and he hath made nothing defective.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for double cross (1 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

British Dictionary definitions for double cross (2 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

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

Other 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]

double cross

Origin of double cross

Words nearby double cross

Other definitions for double cross (2 of 2)

Origin of double-cross

OTHER WORDS FROM double-cross

Words related to double cross

How to use double cross in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for double cross (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for double cross (2 of 2)

Derived forms of double-cross

Other Idioms and Phrases with double cross