duplicate

American  

[doo-pli-kit, dyoo-, doo-pli-keyt, dyoo-] / ˈdu plɪ kɪt, ˈdju-, ˈdu plɪˌkeɪt, ˈdju- /

noun

• duplicates
  plural

1. a copy exactly like an original.

   Synonyms:

   reproduction, replica, facsimile

   Antonyms:

   original

2. anything corresponding in all respects to something else.

3. Cards. a duplicate game.

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verb (used with object)

• duplicates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• duplicated,
  past participle,  past
• duplicating
  present participle

1. to make an exact copy of.

2. to do or perform again; repeat.

   He duplicated his father's way of standing with his hands in his pockets.

3. to double; make twofold.

verb (used without object)

• duplicates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• duplicated,
  past participle,  past
• duplicating
  present participle

1. to become duplicate.

adjective

1. exactly like or corresponding to something else.

   duplicate copies of a letter.

2. consisting of or existing in two identical or corresponding parts; double.

   Synonyms:

   twofold

3. 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

1. in duplicate, in two copies, especially two identical copies.

   Please type the letter in duplicate.

duplicate British  

/ ˈdjuːplɪkəbəl /

adjective

1. copied exactly from an original

2. identical

3. existing as a pair or in pairs; twofold

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noun

1. an exact copy; double

2. something additional or supplementary of the same kind

3. two exact copies (esp in the phrase in duplicate )

verb

1. (tr) to make a replica of

2. (tr) to do or make again

3. (tr) to make in a pair; make double

4. (intr) biology to reproduce by dividing into two identical parts

   the chromosomes duplicated in mitosis

Synonym Usage

See imitate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• duplicability
  noun
• preduplicate
  verb (used with object)
• duplicable
  adjective
• duplicative
  adjective
• nonduplicating
  adjective
• quasi-duplicate
  adjective
• self-duplicating
  adjective
• unduplicated
  adjective
• duplicately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• duplicates
  plural

Participles

• duplicating
  present
• duplicated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• duplicate
  simple
• duplicates
  simple
• have duplicated
  perfect
• has duplicated
  perfect
• am duplicating
  progressive
• are duplicating
  progressive
• is duplicating
  progressive
• have been duplicating
  perfect progressive
• has been duplicating
  perfect progressive

Past

• duplicated
  simple
• had duplicated
  perfect
• was duplicating
  progressive
• were duplicating
  progressive
• had been duplicating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will duplicate
  simple
• will have duplicated
  perfect
• will be duplicating
  progressive
• will have been duplicating
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

duplicate duplicates duplicated duplicating

The popularity of the item has led to duplicate and counterfeit squishy toys being sold online and in shops and stalls.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The bill may also contain coding errors, duplicate charges or costs that should have been covered.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

"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

“It’s possible, but unlikely that you’ll get your shot. Remember, in the original timeline, he took his own picture accidentally. How can you duplicate such a random event? He sure won’t pose for you willingly.”

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

It is a pain to manually export your entire chat history every week, and it will quickly fill your storage space with duplicates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Speaking of cost, statisticians have suggested that trying to complete the set at retail alone - accounting for duplicates - will burn a £1,300 hole in your pocket.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Miguel Sangalang, director of the Bureau of Street Lighting, said there are 33,000 open service requests to fix streetlights across L.A., although some may be duplicates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

This includes Medicare and Medi-Cal explanations of benefits, monthly statements, hospice and medical visit records, and all duplicates.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 27, 2026

Instantly there were some heavy tablets in it, signed by Aristotle, a parchment signed by Hecate, and some type-written duplicates signed by the Master of Trinity, who could not remember having met him.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Previously, charities often duplicated health programs and lured trained government workers into higher-paying jobs with aid agencies, making it difficult for her government to retain skilled staff, Atwine said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 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

And I wrote to my loyal assistants at my newly formed Muslim Mosque, Inc. in Harlem, with a note appended, asking that my letter be duplicated and distributed to the press.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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

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

Alex Mahon recently told a newspaper that there needs to be "more collaboration" between the UK broadcasters – a way of "making sure we're not duplicating the same technology".

From BBC ● May 13, 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

Sophie grabbed a leaflet and noted that it had been produced on a duplicating machine.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• clone
• copy
• imitate
• mirror
• replicate
• reproduce