redouble
Americanverb (used with object)
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to double; make twice as great.
If you hope to win that client, you'll have to redouble your efforts to impress her.
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to echo or reecho.
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Bridge. to double the double of (an opponent).
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to go back over.
I redoubled my footsteps, trying to find my lost earring.
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Archaic. to repeat.
verb (used without object)
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to be doubled; become twice as great.
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to be echoed; resound.
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Bridge. to double the double of an opponent.
noun
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Bridge. the act of doubling one's opponent's double.
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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
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to make or become much greater in intensity, number, etc
to redouble one's efforts
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to send back (sounds) or (of sounds) to be sent back; echo or re-echo
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bridge to double (an opponent's double)
noun
Other Word Forms
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
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Ugly
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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.
Washington could then redouble its focus on the Indo-Pacific.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
The organization emailed its millions of followers on Sunday, urging them to redouble their planned menorah lightings.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2025
"It is high time for Europe to step up its game. To redouble its efforts to reduce our dependencies on China," Sejourne told EU lawmakers.
From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025
Those arguing that gold will double and then redouble from here would extend the line on this chart straight up.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 14, 2025
“The sight of freedom looming on the horizon should encourage us to redouble our efforts.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
