double-time
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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U.S. Army. the fastest rate of marching troops, a slow jog in which 180 paces, each of 3 feet (0.9 meters), are taken in a minute.
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a slow run by troops in step.
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a rate of overtime pay that is twice the regular wage rate.
noun
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a doubled wage rate, paid for working on public holidays, etc
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music
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a time twice as fast as an earlier section
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two beats per bar
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a slow running pace, keeping in step
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army a fast march of 180 paces to the minute
verb
Etymology
Origin of double-time1
First recorded in 1850–55
Origin of double time1
First recorded in 1850–55
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.
Cooks in tie-dyed aprons and sky-blue baseball caps move in double time.
A small crew of bartenders are working double time to serve up wings, french fries and tropical-themed cocktails.
From Los Angeles Times
“If I need to make something from scratch, I need to work double time before I finish the product,” she explains.
From BBC
Whether she was running, talking, or pitching, she did everything double time.
From Literature
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"So all of you people feel underused now, get a good night's sleep, because next year you're going to be working double time," he said.
From Reuters
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.