double up
Britishverb
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to bend or cause to bend in two
he doubled up with the pain
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(intr) to share a room or bed designed for one person, family, etc
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US and Canadian term: parlay. (intr) to use the winnings from one bet as the stake for another
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Bend over suddenly, as in pain or laughter. For example, She doubled up with a cramp . [Late 1800s]
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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.
And the Guardian says the prison service in the UK has drawn up plans to "double up" hundreds of prisoners in cells built for one person, according to leaked documents.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 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
Kimmel’s Italian heritage from his mother’s side gave him the option to double up his citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2025
The Dancing Trout pickup rattled past Nick Rael and then passed three older men legging it on the double up the road toward Joe Mondragon’s house.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
