double take

SEE SYNONYMS FOR double take ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a rapid or surprised second look, either literal or figurative, at a person or situation whose significance had not been completely grasped at first: His friends did a double take when they saw how much weight he had lost.

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to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
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Origin of double take

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Words nearby double take

double sugar, double-system sound recording, doublet, double tackle, double-tailed, double take, double take, do a, double-talk, double tap, double-team, doublethink
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to double take

afterthought, second thought, arriere-pensee

Example sentences from the Web for double take

British Dictionary definitions for double take

double take

noun

(esp in comedy) a delayed reaction by a person to a remark, situation, etc
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