double take

American

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.

double take British

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

Etymology

Origin of double take

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

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.

Hu observed the insects pausing briefly, almost as if doing a "double take," before gathering nearby.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

Waitstaff do a double take at having to get change.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Something in your column made me do a double take.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 12, 2025

He'd arrived at the road adjacent to the tree and had to "double take" as he saw it for the first time lying on its side.

From BBC • May 9, 2025

Later, in the hall between third and fourth periods, I saw Digger, and I know he saw me—because I watched him do a double take and then turn a complete one-eighty.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

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