double

American  

[duhb-uhl] / ˈdʌb əl /

adjective

1. twice as large, heavy, strong, etc.; twofold in size, amount, number, extent, etc..

   a double portion; a new house double the size of the old one.

2. composed of two like parts or members; twofold in form; paired.

   double doors; a double sink.

3. of, relating to, or suitable for two persons.

   a double room.

4. twofold in character, meaning, or conduct; dual or ambiguous.

   a double interpretation.

5. deceitful; hypocritical; insincere.

   Assuming the identity of the deceased man, the salesman began leading a double life, keeping it secret from his live-in girlfriend.

6. (of musical instruments) producing a tone an octave lower than the notes indicate.

7. duple, as time or rhythm.

8. folded in two; having one half folded over the other.

9. (of a bed or bedclothes) full-size.

   a double blanket.

10. Botany. (of flowers) having many more than the normal number of petals.

    double petunias; double hollyhocks.

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noun

• doubles
  plural

1. anything that is twofold in size or amount or twice the usual size, quantity, strength, etc.

2. a duplicate or counterpart; something exactly or closely resembling another.

   This dress is the double of that.

   He is the double of his cousin.

3. Also called double room.  a type of hotel accommodation with two beds, or sometimes a double bed, for occupancy by two persons.

4. a fold or plait.

5. an alcoholic drink containing twice the usual amount of alcohol.

6. a sudden backward turn or bend, as of a fox on the run in fox hunting; reversal.

7. a trick or artifice, as of argument in a formal debate.

8. a substitute actor or singer ready to take another's place, especially onstage; understudy.

9. Movies, Television.

   1. a substitute who performs feats or actions too hazardous or difficult for a star.

   2. body double.

10. Baseball. two-base hit.

11. Military. double time.

12. (used with a singular verb) doubles, a game or match in which there are two players on each side, as in tennis.

13. (in bridge or other card games)

    1. a challenge by an opponent that the declarer cannot fulfill the designated contract, increasing the points to be won or lost.

    2. a hand that warrants such a challenge.

14. Bridge. a conventional bid informing one's partner that a player's hand is of a certain strength.

15. Bowling. two strikes in succession.

    He needed a double in the tenth frame to win.

16. daily double.

17. any of certain feasts in the Roman Catholic Church, marked by a doubled antiphon and taking precedence over lesser feasts.

18. Music Rare. a variation.

19. a former coin of France, the sixth part of a sol, issued in silver in the 14th century, later made of copper.

verb (used with object)

• doubles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• doubled,
  past participle,  past
• doubling
  present participle

1. to make double or twice as great; to add an equal amount to.

   The baby doubled its weight in a year.

2. to bend or fold with or as with one part over another (often followed by over, up, back, etc.).

   Double the edge over before sewing.

3. to clench.

   He doubled his fists.

4. to be or have twice as much as.

   Income doubled expenditure.

5. Nautical.

   1. to sail around (a projecting area of land).

      to double Cape Horn.

   2. to add a new layer of planking or ceiling to (an old wooden hull).

6. to pair; couple.

   The players were doubled for the tournament.

7. Music. to reduplicate by means of a tone in another part, either at the unison or at an octave above or below.

8. (in bridge and other card games)

   1. to challenge (the bid of an opponent) by making a call that increases the value of tricks to be won or lost.

   2. to challenge the bid of (an opponent).

      He doubled me into game.

9. Baseball.

   1. to cause the advance of (a base runner) by a two-base hit.

      He doubled him to third.

   2. to cause (a run) to be scored by a two-base hit (often followed byin ).

      He doubled in the winning run.

   3. to put out (a base runner) as the second out of a double play (often followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

• doubles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• doubled,
  past participle,  past
• doubling
  present participle

1. to become double.

   My money doubled in three years.

2. to bend or fold (often followed by up orover ).

   to double over with pain.

3. to turn back on a course or reverse direction (often followed byback ).

   He doubled back by another road and surprised us.

4. Military. to march at the double-time pace.

5. to serve in two capacities or in an additional capacity.

   She doubles as producer and director.

6. to act as a double in a play, motion picture, or the like.

7. Music. to play an instrument besides one's regular instrument (usually followed byon ).

   The saxophonist doubles on drums.

8. (in bridge and other card games) to double the bid of an opponent.

9. Baseball. to make a two-base hit.

10. to double-date.

adverb

1. to twice the amount, number, extent, etc.; twofold; doubly.

2. two together.

   There are only a few beds, so some of the children will have to sleep double for the night.

verb phrase

1. double down. see double down.

2. double up

   1. to share quarters planned for only one person or family.

      Because of the room shortage, we had to double up.

   2. to bend over, as from pain.

      He doubled up in agony.

idioms

1. double or nothing, a bet having as its outcome either the doubling of a previous loss or debt or the canceling of that loss or debt. Also double or quits

2. on the double,

   1. without delay; rapidly.

      The fire engines came on the double.

   2. in double time, as marching troops.

3. at the double, on the double.

4. double in brass, to serve in two capacities; be able to do work different from one's own.

   It is a small firm, and everyone doubles in brass when emergencies arise.

double British  

/ ˈdʌbəl /

adjective

1. as much again in size, strength, number, etc

   a double portion

2. composed of two equal or similar parts; in a pair; twofold

   a double egg cup

3. designed for two users

   a double room

4. folded in two; composed of two layers

   double paper

5. stooping; bent over

6. having two aspects or existing in two different ways; ambiguous

   a double meaning

7. false, deceitful, or hypocritical

   a double life

8. (of flowers) having more than the normal number of petals

9. maths

   1. (of a root) being one of two equal roots of a polynomial equation

   2. (of an integral) having an integrand containing two independent variables requiring two integrations, in each of which one variable is kept constant

10. music

    1. (of an instrument) sounding an octave lower than the pitch indicated by the notation

       a double bass

    2. (of time) duple, usually accompanied by the direction alla breve

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adverb

1. twice over; twofold

2. two together; two at a time (esp in the phrase see double )

noun

1. twice the number, amount, size, etc

2. a double measure of spirits, such as whisky or brandy

3. a duplicate or counterpart, esp a person who closely resembles another; understudy

4. a wraith or ghostly apparition that is the exact counterpart of a living person; doppelgänger

5. a sharp turn, esp a return on one's own tracks

6. an evasive shift or artifice; trick

7. an actor who plays two parts in one play

8. bridge a call that increases certain scoring points if the last preceding bid becomes the contract

9. billiards snooker a strike in which the object ball is struck so as to make it rebound against the cushion to an opposite pocket

10. a bet on two horses in different races in which any winnings from the horse in the first race are placed on the horse in the later race

11. (often capital) RC Church one of the higher-ranking feasts on which the antiphons are recited both before and after the psalms

12. music an ornamented variation in 16th and 17th century music

13. Also called: double time.  a pace of twice the normal marching speed

14. tennis See double fault

15. 1. the narrow outermost ring on a dartboard

    2. a hit on this ring

16. 1. at twice normal marching speed

    2. quickly or immediately

verb

1. to make or become twice as much

2. to bend or fold (material, a bandage, etc)

3. to clench (a fist)

4. (tr; often foll by together or up) to join or couple

   he doubled up the team

5. (tr) to repeat exactly; copy

6. (intr) to play two parts or serve two roles

7. (intr) to turn sharply; follow a winding course

8. nautical to sail around (a headland or other point)

9. music

   1. to duplicate (a voice or instrumental part) either in unison or at the octave above or below it

   2. to be capable of performing (upon an instrument additional to one's normal one)

      the third trumpeter doubles on cornet

10. bridge to make a call that will double certain scoring points if the preceding bid becomes the contract

11. billiards snooker to cause (a ball) to rebound or (of a ball) to rebound from a cushion across or up or down the table

12. chess

    1. to cause two pawns of the same colour to be on the same file

    2. to place both rooks of the same colour on the same rank or the same file

13. to act as substitute (for an actor or actress)

14. (intr) to go or march at twice the normal speed

double More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing double

• lead a double life
• on the double
• see double

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• doubleness
  noun
• doubler
  noun
• quasi-double
  adjective
• quasi-doubly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• doubles
  plural

Participles

• doubling
  present
• doubled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• double
  simple
• doubles
  simple
• have doubled
  perfect
• has doubled
  perfect
• am doubling
  progressive
• are doubling
  progressive
• is doubling
  progressive
• have been doubling
  perfect progressive
• has been doubling
  perfect progressive

Past

• doubled
  simple
• had doubled
  perfect
• was doubling
  progressive
• were doubling
  progressive
• had been doubling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will double
  simple
• will have doubled
  perfect
• will be doubling
  progressive
• will have been doubling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of double

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin duplus, equivalent to du(o) two + -plus -fold

Explanation

Something is double if it has two parts or if there are two versions of it. If you order a double dip ice cream cone, there will be two scoops of ice cream for you to lick. If you fall while you're roller skating and end up with a double arm fracture, it means you broke your arm in two places. A joke with a double meaning has two of them, and if you double your tips at the coffee shop by smiling more at customers, you're making twice as much money. In addition to the adjective and verb versions of double, there's the noun: your double is someone who looks exactly like you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

double doubles doubled doubling

An exceptionally precise first mid-course correction, combined with other fuel savings, could more than double the observatory's potential lifetime in space.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

The company said it aims to double its market share through a regionalized portfolio with electrified and all-electric cars, as well as third-generation hybrid models.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

A representative said that the ranch is currently trying to double the size of its herd in order to accommodate the grill’s demands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

Outside this building a florid-faced officer formed us into a double column and marched us across a broad parade ground.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The venue was fitting, as in 2023 Salisbury and Ram became the first pair in history to win three consecutive US Open men's doubles titles.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Right fielder Kyle Tucker — who continued his recent hot streak with a single, two doubles and a home run on Thursday — is still on pace for the worst full season of his career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The updated filing doubles proposed residential bill credits to four years and shields retail customers from certain data center grid costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The routine doubles as exercise for Nill and enrichment for the cats, she said: “Kill two birds with one stone.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Her library card, which, of course, doubles as a key card for Meeting Room B. Find a way to borrow it.”

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

It also doubled import taxes on steel coming into the UK above certain levels from 25% to 50%.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Data-center job postings have more than doubled in two years, even as overall U.S. job postings fell roughly 12%.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Less than three years later, that number had doubled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The cost of ice has more than doubled, Darboe-Manneh told AFP, since the ice vendors -- who often make it in home freezers -- do not have electricity.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Thorn was doubled over, her hands on her knees and shaking.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Global Witness warned that Brazil had seen a doubling of killings of environmental defenders in 2025 compared to 2024.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Less than a year later, Pride was standing at second base in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, doffing his batting helmet to a long-standing ovation he couldn’t hear after doubling in his second big-league at-bat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

See more: Micron is doubling down on AI memory chips.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Still, Gervais remained undeterred, doubling and tripling down on his comedy and delivering a since-viral “I don’t care” monologue during his final hosting stint.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

The doubling continued in future divisions until further cell division became mechanically impossible.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• grow
• increase