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Showing results for double entendre. Search instead for double-entendres.
Synonyms

double entendre

American  
[duhb-uhl ahn-tahn-druh, -tahnd, doo-blahn-tahn-druh] / ˈdʌb əl ɑnˈtɑn drə, -ˈtɑnd, du blɑ̃ˈtɑ̃ drə /

noun

plural

double entendres

  1. a double meaning.

  2. a word or expression used in a given context so that it can be understood in two ways, especially when one meaning is risqué.

double entendre British  
/ dubl ɑ̃tɑ̃drə, ˈdʌbəl ɑːnˈtɑːndrə, -ˈtɑːnd /

noun

  1. a word, phrase, etc, that can be interpreted in two ways, esp one having one meaning that is indelicate

  2. the type of humour that depends upon such ambiguity

"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
double-entendre Cultural  

  1. A word or expression that has two different meanings (in French, double-entendre means “double meaning”), one of which is often bawdy or indelicate. A double-entendre is found in this sentence: “A nudist camp is simply a place where men and women meet to air their differences.”

Usage

What else does double entendre mean? A double entendre is a word or expression that can be understood in two ways, especially when one meaning is risqué. If you've ever cracked a that's what she said joke, you've created a double entendre.

Etymology

Origin of double entendre

From obsolete French, dating back to 1665–75; see origin at double, intend

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.

Hoping to give her blessing and her mother’s wedding ring to her son — “The Family Stone” remains a very clever double entendre — Sybil’s plans are quickly thwarted by this realization.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2025

“I mean, it has to fit with secular society. It’s got to have some double entendre about the Gospel.”

From Washington Times • Aug. 18, 2023

It’s kind of a double entendre, because we’re second-generation physicians.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2022

As in “Godot,” there is hardly any plot in “Pass Over”; the title itself is a biblical double entendre.

From Washington Post • Aug. 22, 2021

“You look a little . . . Pardon the double entendre, my friend, but there’s something a little worrisome in your eyes.”

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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