double entendre
noun
a double meaning.
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double entendre
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double-entendre
double-entendreA 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.”
double entendre
American
[duhb-uhl ahn-tahn-druh, -tahnd, doo-blahn -tahn-dr uh]
/ ˈdʌb əl ɑnˈtɑn drə, -ˈtɑnd, du blɑ̃ˈtɑ̃ drə /
noun
double entendres
plural
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a double meaning.
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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
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a word, phrase, etc, that can be interpreted in two ways, esp one having one meaning that is indelicate
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the type of humour that depends upon such ambiguity
double-entendre
Cultural
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The series’ title is a meta double entendre referencing the strife we put ourselves through just trying to keep up appearances, as well as Skinner’s creative style.
From Salon ● May 17, 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
The title, “I Swear,” is a double entendre that will be immediately recognizable to aficionados of the representative’s salty style.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023
“It was all double entendre, and hidden meaning, deeply wonderful stuff and no doubt would have thrilled anyone familiar with Polari, to hear it on the radio, and know what it meant,” Mr. Green said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2022
“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
The double-entendre headline, for Pete and Chasten Buttigieg, is "First Family."
From Fox News ● May 3, 2019
On the house floor, the debate — and the double-entendre — continued.
From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2019
Early protesters appeared, symbolically, on the Tehran thoroughfare renamed for the country’s revolution, in 1979, adding a subtle double-entendre to the new women’s crusade.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 14, 2018
The “A. Ham” double-entendre is irresistible, especially for those who work in New York theater.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2017
As he took my hand into his slender, but very powerful grasp, that man had the impertinence to laugh into my eyes at my parent's double-entendre, which he had intended as a simple single remark.
From The Golden Bird by Chase, Edward L.
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.
