double down

[ duhb-uhl doun ]

verb

1. Cards. (in blackjack) to double an initial bet, on the condition that one can be dealt only one more card:

   Will you double down and beat the dealer?

2. to increase one’s efforts or hold to a position or opinion, especially when vulnerable or taking a risk:

   He has continued to defend his controversial interpretation of the document, doubling down on what he sees as the truth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of double down¹

First recorded in 1625–35, in another sense

Example Sentences

Faced with the loss of middle class voters, the administration seems determined to double down on its current coalition.

From The Daily Beast

They double down on the plot device of a lone visionary opposed by conventional hierarchies.

From The Daily Beast

I think we can reasonably expect Tillis to double down on the issue, and it would be horrible to see Hagan lose because of it.

From The Daily Beast

It seems almost un-American to double down on the Clinton and Bush dynasties that ran the country for a generation.

From The Daily Beast

Reading Double Down and The Gamble side by side is both fascinating and illuminating.

From The Daily Beast

I felt I was producing a bad impression, but with my double down there it was most trying to be on deck.

From Project Gutenberg

He will turn a double down through the stoutest grass, and when the hay is raked away you will not find a spear left standing.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the column proceeded at the double down the slope that led to the Étang-des-Moines.

From Project Gutenberg

Five minutes later Tarleton, with a third of the men, went off at the double down the path.

From Project Gutenberg

As puss went away from the gorse, or raced down the turnip-rigg, I took in every twist and double down to the minutest detail.

From Project Gutenberg