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• double-duty
  double-duty

  adjective

  designed to fill two functions.
• double duty
  double duty

  Fulfilling two functions at the same time, as in Our pickup truck does double duty, since it is used for the business and for family outings.

double-duty

American  

[duhb-uhl-doo-tee, -dyoo-] / ˈdʌb əlˈdu ti, -ˈdyu- /

adjective

1. designed to fill two functions.

   double-duty tools.

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double duty Idioms  

1. Fulfilling two functions at the same time, as in Our pickup truck does double duty, since it is used for the business and for family outings.

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Example Sentences

This means vessels are doing double-duty with increasing risk of breakdowns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

They can do double-duty as both home heaters and AC units and are pretty good at maintaining a constant temperature inside a home without the blast-then-cool-off cycle typical of a furnace.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

McIlroy and Bridgeman finished their rounds on Thursday, while Penge and Aaron Rai had to pull double-duty on Friday.

From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026

Teachers, she said, had borne the brunt of strains on public services like health and social care, where shortfalls have forced teachers to do double-duty supporting vulnerable children.

From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2023

In the corridor a few weak-kneed, pasty-faced students were making their way to and from the bathrooms, and a group of silent Helpers worked double-duty to keep the floors mopped.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart