redouble
Americanverb (used with object)
-
redoubles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
redoubled,
past participle, past
-
redoubling
present participle
-
to double; make twice as great.
If you hope to win that client, you'll have to redouble your efforts to impress her.
-
to echo or reecho.
-
Bridge. to double the double of (an opponent).
-
to go back over.
I redoubled my footsteps, trying to find my lost earring.
-
Archaic. to repeat.
verb (used without object)
-
redoubles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
redoubled,
past participle, past
-
redoubling
present participle
-
to be doubled; become twice as great.
-
to be echoed; resound.
-
Bridge. to double the double of an opponent.
noun
-
Bridge. the act of doubling one's opponent's double.
-
Fencing. an attack in a line other than that of the previous attack, made after the failure of the opponent to follow their parry of the previous attack with a riposte.
verb
-
to make or become much greater in intensity, number, etc
to redouble one's efforts
-
to send back (sounds) or (of sounds) to be sent back; echo or re-echo
-
bridge to double (an opponent's double)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
redoublesimple
-
redoublessimple
-
have redoubledperfect
-
has redoubledperfect
-
am redoublingprogressive
-
are redoublingprogressive
-
is redoublingprogressive
-
have been redoublingperfect progressive
-
has been redoublingperfect progressive
Past
-
redoubledsimple
-
had redoubledperfect
-
was redoublingprogressive
-
were redoublingprogressive
-
had been redoublingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of redouble
From the Middle French word redoubler, dating back to 1470–80. See re-, double
Explanation
To redouble something is to intensify it or make it bigger. After losing your initial run for school president, you might redouble your efforts the next year, with a bigger and better campaign. You'll almost always find the verb redouble accompanied by efforts, as when the local police force makes a pledge to redouble their efforts to cut down on people texting while driving. Or in an attempt to have a more diverse student body, a college might redouble its efforts to recruit applicants from different geographical areas. The root of redouble is the Middle French word redoubler, which combines re, "again," and doubler, "to double."
Vocabulary lists containing redouble
See You in the Cosmos
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Ugly
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Wilder Boys
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister who had also been talked up as a potential leadership candidate, said Labour "must now redouble our efforts to deliver for working people".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Washington could then redouble its focus on the Indo-Pacific.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
We need to redouble our efforts to keep those markets growing.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
Chief Executive Elliott Hill said Nike was “in the middle innings of our comeback,” as the company tries to redouble its focus on the needs of athletes and faces caution from budget-conscious consumers.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 18, 2025
Slightly crestfallen, Harry watched Phineas redouble his attempts to leave his frame.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
When the tankers flow through the Strait again, or if the UAE redoubles its attempts to build new pipelines, Emirati oil will flow like never before, unconstrained by Opec commitments.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
But it is also frustrating, and rereading redoubles that frustration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
It could be, for example, that as a fund manager becomes aware that his trades are predictable, he redoubles his efforts to make his trades less predictable—which, in turn, should improve his performance.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
But rather than a distraction, it redoubles the impact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
The enemy's fire redoubles; the bridge crashes beneath the cannonade, when a loud shout is raised,— "Let the cavalry fall back!"
From Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II by Charles James Lever
Chinese automakers have redoubled efforts to expand overseas amid a slowing domestic market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
But Canberra has redoubled efforts to diversify export markets for farmers since a 2020 dispute with Beijing saw agriculture exports blocked for several years, and last year's global imposition of US trade tariffs.
From Barron's ● Mar. 23, 2026
This week, Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers redoubled their efforts to win over Labour MPs minded to join what could be the biggest rebellion yet against his government.
From BBC ● May 23, 2025
Congress redoubled that effort following the Civil War, requiring the states to guarantee public education in their state constitutions and establish the first Department of Education.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2025
Each time the men of Durham flexed their muscle, she redoubled her efforts to break up their game.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
With her first cookbook “Homemade” set for its nationwide release in October, she is redoubling her efforts to separate her image from one that’s becoming less commercially appealing by the moment.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
Black clergy in the city, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, are redoubling their efforts to mobilize voters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
Two of the company’s main rivals, LG and Samsung, are redoubling their efforts on the continent after falling short in China, said Troy Stangarone, visiting senior fellow at the Korea Economic Institute of America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
But in recent years, amid mounting alarm over its plummeting fertility rates, South Korea has been redoubling its decades-long efforts — such as ethnic identity-building campaigns and employment programs — to bring them back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2024
She reacted as she always did to adversity: by redoubling her efforts to force change on the reluctant city.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
