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Synonyms

double up

British  

verb

  1. to bend or cause to bend in two

    he doubled up with the pain

  2. (intr) to share a room or bed designed for one person, family, etc

  3. US and Canadian term: parlay. (intr) to use the winnings from one bet as the stake for another

"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 up Idioms  
  1. Bend over suddenly, as in pain or laughter. For example, She doubled up with a cramp . [Late 1800s]

  2. Share accommodations meant for one person, as in The hotel ran out of rooms, so we had to double up . [Late 1700s]


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:

Wynonna Judd gets to double up, on “Woman to Woman” and, with Randy Houser, “We’re Gonna Hold On,” which was the first of several hit duets by Wynette and one-time husband George Jones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

That streak ended with a double up the left-field line from Eduardo Valencia, who turned on an inside slider to lead off the fifth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

They also might mistakenly double up on a medication if a mail-order pharmacy switches generic manufacturers and a drug begins coming in a different-colored pill that appears to be a different prescription.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025

As if on cue, stomach cramps made me double up.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025

Don’t be tempted to double up on/’s or c’s.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

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