duplicate
Americannoun
-
a copy exactly like an original.
- Synonyms:
- reproduction, replica, facsimile
- Antonyms:
- original
-
anything corresponding in all respects to something else.
-
Cards. a duplicate game.
verb (used with object)
-
to make an exact copy of.
-
to do or perform again; repeat.
He duplicated his father's way of standing with his hands in his pockets.
-
to double; make twofold.
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
exactly like or corresponding to something else.
duplicate copies of a letter.
-
consisting of or existing in two identical or corresponding parts; double.
- Synonyms:
- twofold
-
Cards. noting a game in which each team plays a series of identical hands, the winner being the team making the best total score.
idioms
adjective
-
copied exactly from an original
-
identical
-
existing as a pair or in pairs; twofold
noun
-
an exact copy; double
-
something additional or supplementary of the same kind
-
two exact copies (esp in the phrase in duplicate )
verb
-
(tr) to make a replica of
-
(tr) to do or make again
-
(tr) to make in a pair; make double
-
(intr) biology to reproduce by dividing into two identical parts
the chromosomes duplicated in mitosis
Synonym Usage
See imitate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
duplicabilitynoun
-
preduplicateverb (used with object)
-
duplicableadjective
-
duplicativeadjective
-
nonduplicatingadjective
-
quasi-duplicateadjective
-
self-duplicatingadjective
-
unduplicatedadjective
-
duplicatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
duplicatesimple
-
duplicatessimple
-
have duplicatedperfect
-
has duplicatedperfect
-
am duplicatingprogressive
-
are duplicatingprogressive
-
is duplicatingprogressive
-
have been duplicatingperfect progressive
-
has been duplicatingperfect progressive
Past
-
duplicatedsimple
-
had duplicatedperfect
-
was duplicatingprogressive
-
were duplicatingprogressive
-
had been duplicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of duplicate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin duplicātus (past participle of duplicāre “to make double”), equivalent to duplic- (stem of duplex ) duplex + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Duplicate describes something that's an exact copy. If you tend to accidentally lock yourself out of your car, it's a good idea to carry a duplicate key with you just in case. The word duplicate is useful when you're talking about a copy of something, like a duplicate of your birth certificate that you keep in a file, or a duplicate driver's license that you apply for after losing the original one. The verb duplicate is pronounced differently, with a long a sound, and it means to make a copy of or to multiply times two. The Latin root, duplicatus, means "to double."
Vocabulary lists containing duplicate
List 1
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"A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry
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"A Walk to the Jetty," Vocabulary from a novel excerpt
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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:
"It's focused too much on whether silicon can duplicate a human brain and not enough on the broader question of what kinds of systems can be conscious," he said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
While some of those were due to duplicate entries or deceased voters, many were also removed for “logical discrepancies” flagged by software such as too-large families or improbable age gaps between parents and children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
A stage adaptation can’t duplicate the way Lumet visually distilled the rough-and-tumble New York zeitgeist of the tumultuous early 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
India's Election Commission says the revision is meant to weed out duplicate or outdated entries and add genuine voters.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Marti had brought a duplicate copy of the asphalt rock and offered riveting details of her capture.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
In the iCloud Photos section, tap Manage Storage, where you can merge duplicates and delete large files.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
“Before you go out and shop, check all the cupboards,” she said, to avoid buying duplicates.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 25, 2026
A single cell duplicates three billion DNA letters and manages to distribute perfect copies to both daughter cells.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 10, 2025
Appreciate the intentionally cruddy camerawork by Maceo Bishop that duplicates Hyams’ low-budget limitations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
She knew I was lying—I could tell because when Dad came in unexpectedly and asked why she was copying the returns, she said the duplicates were for her records.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Across volatile regions, some critical infrastructure, like desalination plants and data centers, will need to be fortified with layers of reinforced concrete, duplicated to provide backups or potentially relocated underground—at significant cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Its elements have been duplicated, sampled and reimagined so many times that it now exists in countless forms, offering endless ways in.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Nevertheless, some of the works involved are "especially popular and duplicated many times online", making it difficult to exclude them completely from training data.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
Third, ancient CNSs often remain present after genes are duplicated, which is a major driver of plant genome and gene family evolution.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2026
Buck duplicated the manœuvre, this time to the left.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
Countries seeking to protect domestic companies are also duplicating efforts, such as building too many different types of armored vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dame Emily Thornberry said her committee was investigating the appointment and that she did not want the Privileges Committee to be "duplicating the work we're doing".
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
Instead, it can draw on existing mental components, recombine them, and avoid duplicating work, a strategy that current AI systems generally lack.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2025
Guthy had made a living duplicating audiocassettes for medical conferences and real estate professionals selling home study programs who would then turn around and sell them to customers for hundreds of dollars on infomercials.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2025
To my surprise, he revealed that with the help of his assistant Wilson he had quietly been duplicating some of Rosy’s and Gosling’s X-ray work.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
