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.
Finally, with two out in the fourth inning, Gabriel Moreno bounced a double up the right-field line for the Diamondbacks’ first hit of the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Doku's one-against-one threat on the left had required teams to double up on him since August.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 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
A dozen times a day they had to stop to free a wheel that had stuck in a rut, or double up the teams to climb a muddy slope.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
