doubt

American  

[dout] / daʊt /

verb (used with object)

• doubts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• doubted,
  past participle,  past
• doubting
  present participle

1. to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe.

   The police have good reason to doubt his alibi.

   Synonyms:

   question, suspect, mistrust

2. to distrust; regard with suspicion.

   I doubted the salesman, so we decided to check with other dealers.

   Synonyms:

   question, suspect, mistrust

3. Archaic. to fear; be apprehensive about.

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verb (used without object)

• doubts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• doubted,
  past participle,  past
• doubting
  present participle

1. to be uncertain about something; be undecided in opinion or belief.

   The priest told me that it was normal to doubt, but encouraged me to nurture my faith.

noun

• doubts
  plural

1. a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something.

   We all had our doubts about your mysterious Canadian girlfriend since no one has ever seen her in person.

   Synonyms:

   irresolution, indecision

2. distrust or suspicion.

   Voters naturally held some doubt about the abrupt change in policy direction issued by city hall.

3. a general feeling of uncertainty, worry, or concern: Set your doubts aside, and listen to my business idea with an open mind.

   As soon as I'd dropped out of school to become a full-time musician, I was full of doubt—what if I’d made a terrible mistake?

   Set your doubts aside, and listen to my business idea with an open mind.

4. a state of affairs such as to occasion uncertainty.

5. Obsolete. fear; dread.

idioms

1. in doubt, in a state of uncertainty or suspense.

   His appointment to the position is still in doubt.

2. no doubt,

   1. probably.

   2. certainly.

      There is no doubt an element of truth in what you say.

3. beyond a / the shadow of a doubt, with certainty; definitely. Also beyond a doubt, beyond doubt.

4. without doubt, unquestionably; certainly.

doubt British  

/ daʊt /

noun

1. uncertainty about the truth, fact, or existence of something (esp in the phrases in doubt, without doubt, beyond a shadow of doubt, etc)

2. (often plural) lack of belief in or conviction about something

   all his doubts about the project disappeared

3. an unresolved difficulty, point, etc

4. philosophy the methodical device, esp in the philosophy of Descartes, of identifying certain knowledge as the residue after rejecting any proposition which might, however improbably, be false

5. obsolete fear

6. to presume someone suspected of guilt to be innocent; judge leniently

7. almost certainly

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verb

1. (tr; may take a clause as object) to be inclined to disbelieve

   I doubt we are late

2. (tr) to distrust or be suspicious of

   he doubted their motives

3. (intr) to feel uncertainty or be undecided

4. (tr; may take a clause as object) to be inclined to believe

5. archaic (tr) to fear

6. I would expect nothing else from someone

doubt More Idioms  

1. see beyond a doubt; cast doubt on; give the benefit of the doubt; no doubt; shadow of a doubt.

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Usage

Doubt and doubtful may be followed by a subordinate clause beginning with that, whether, or if: I doubt that (or whether or if ) the story is true. It is doubtful that (or whether or if ) the story is true. There is some doubt that (or whether or if ) the story is true. In negative or interrogative sentences, that almost always introduces the subordinate clause: I do not doubt that the story is true. Is it doubtful that the story is true? Is there any doubt that the story is true? The expressions doubt but and doubt but that occur in all varieties of standard speech and writing: I don't doubt but she is sincere. There is no doubt but that the charges will affect his career. Doubt but what occurs mainly in informal speech and writing: There is no doubt but what the rainy weather will hurt the crops.

Where a clause follows doubt in a positive sentence, it was formerly considered correct to use whether ( I doubt whether he will come ), but now if and that are also acceptable. In negative statements, doubt is followed by that: I do not doubt that he is telling the truth. In such sentences, but ( I do not doubt but that he is telling the truth ) is redundant

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• doubter
  noun
• doubtingness
  noun
• nondoubter
  noun
• predoubt
  noun
• predoubter
  noun
• overdoubt
  verb (used with object)
• doubtable
  adjective
• nondoubtable
  adjective
• nondoubting
  adjective
• undoubtable
  adjective
• undoubting
  adjective
• doubtably
  adverb
• doubtingly
  adverb
• nondoubtingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• doubts
  plural

Participles

• doubting
  present
• doubted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• doubt
  simple
• doubts
  simple
• have doubted
  perfect
• has doubted
  perfect
• am doubting
  progressive
• are doubting
  progressive
• is doubting
  progressive
• have been doubting
  perfect progressive
• has been doubting
  perfect progressive

Past

• doubted
  simple
• had doubted
  perfect
• was doubting
  progressive
• were doubting
  progressive
• had been doubting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will doubt
  simple
• will have doubted
  perfect
• will be doubting
  progressive
• will have been doubting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of doubt

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb douten, duten, doubten, from Old French douter, doter “to doubt, be doubtful,” from Latin dubitāre “to waver, hesitate, be uncertain” (frequentative of Old Latin dubāre ), equivalent to dub- “doubt” + -it- frequentative suffix + -āre infinitive suffix; noun derivative of the verb. The -b- first appears between 1420–30 in imitation of Latin dubit-

Explanation

Doubt is distrust or suspicion. When your kid sister explains that a robber broke in and ate your entire chocolate stash, most likely you feel doubt. When you're in doubt, you really can't tell what's true and what's false, whether that's a news story or whether you want to marry someone or whether you'll survive Med school. The Latin root of doubt is dubitāre, "to hesitate, waver," and when you doubt something you're wavering: I think I believe you, but maybe I don't. But maybe I do. But maybe not? One thing not to doubt is the silent b. Pronounce: DOWT.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doubt doubts doubted doubting

Really, I doubt if they have the horses to go at this, and I can’t imagine why they would want to.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Letting go is a decision, but it’s often a daily practice too, as you have no doubt discovered.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

There’s even reason to doubt it will be ready for the Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Paul Robinson: Spurs had a shocker last season but this time they are on the fringes of the Champions League places, without a doubt.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

For a moment I began to doubt myself for suspecting her.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Another resident also doubts fresh penalties will have an impact on the longevity of the regime.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

However, experts and former Census Bureau officials have raised serious doubts about the accuracy of the document, suggesting the methodology is flawed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

“I really thought they were going to have to find someone else,” says Gardner, adding that associate director Sam Scalamoni assured him that every Lumiere has their doubts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The findings also help bring together recent research that has raised doubts about how important haplodiploidy really is to the evolution of complex insect societies.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

With the emotional heft of dead friends and relatives behind her, she explained away any doubts or spirit inconsistencies to believers and the spiritual press.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

His blustering threats, alternating with claims of imminent peace and victory, are doubted by friends and foe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Vallverdu’s mother taught her and she often plays with friends at home in Miami Beach, but doubted her camp friends were interested, so she didn’t bring her set.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Many doubted whether they would even happen - and when they do go ahead, they will do so in a stripped-back form.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Cherubim's joint advisor David Charbonneau, head of the Harvard Department of Astronomy and astronomer in the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, initially doubted whether the plan would succeed.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

Considering the crate half concealed by the fringed curtain at the back of the store, I highly doubted it.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

He sees the junk that AI puts out is a shot in the arm for creatives who are doubting their own instincts.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Adams is presented as a loutish rabble-rouser, but there’s no doubting Lawson’s moral certainty or patriotic intent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

That gave Potter the chance to help Sweden to the World Cup but also show those doubting his managerial credentials that he still has what it takes to deliver on the big stage.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

However, there can be no doubting the quality of his goal here - his 10th for Brazil, with three of those coming on US soil.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

She holds my hand while she cries, which I was doubting she’d even do because she was so pissed when she got here.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

Related Words

• ambiguity
• apprehension
• confusion
• difficulty
• disbelief
• distrust
• fear
• hesitation
• misgiving
• mistrust
• problem
• qualm
• reluctance
• skepticism
• suspense
• suspicion
• uncertainty