Etymology

From Middle EnglishCategory:English terms inherited from Middle English#DOUBLECategory:English terms derived from Middle English#DOUBLE double, from Old FrenchCategory:English terms derived from Old French#DOUBLE doble, double, from LatinCategory:English terms derived from Latin#DOUBLE duplus (“twofold”). Doublet of doppio and dupleCategory:English doublets#DOUBLE.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌb.əl/, [ˈdʌb.ɫ̩]Category:English 2-syllable words#DOUBLECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#DOUBLE

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#DOUBLE

• Audio:

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  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#DOUBLE
• Hyphenation: doub‧le
• Rhymes: -ʌbəlCategory:Rhymes:English/ʌbəl#DOUBLECategory:Rhymes:English/ʌbəl/2 syllables#DOUBLE

Adjective

double (not comparable)Category:English lemmas#DOUBLECategory:English adjectives#DOUBLECategory:English uncomparable adjectives#DOUBLECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#DOUBLECategory:Pages with entries#DOUBLECategory:Pages with 3 entries#DOUBLE

1. Made up of two matching or complementary elements.

   The closet has double doors.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     “ […] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Such is not the usage of civilized warfare. Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”

     Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

   • 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist‎, volume 408, number 8848, archived from the original on 30 September 2020:

     The [Washington] Post's proprietor through those turbulent [Watergate] days, Katharine Graham, held a double place in Washington’s hierarchy: at once regal Georgetown hostess and scrappy newshound, ready to hold the establishment to account.

     Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

2. Of twice the quantity.

   Give me a double serving of mashed potatoes.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   Britain's population density used to be double that of China.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   • 2019 January 26, Kitty Empire [pseudonym], “The Streets review – the agony and ecstasy of a great everyman”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 8 April 2019:

     The 40-year-old [Mike Skinner] is happy to put his body on the line in other ways, swapping a mug of tea for a fan's double pint of lager and messily necking it in one.

     Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

   • 2024 May 23, Laura He, “Bargain-hungry Americans are flocking to Temu and making its Chinese owner very rich”, in CNN Business‎, archived from the original on 15 August 2024:

     The Shanghai-based company reported Wednesday that net profit soared 246% to 28 billion yuan ($3.9 billion) in the first quarter of 2024, more than double the average analyst estimate of 12.62 billion yuan ($1.7 billion), according to LSEG data.

     Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

3. Of a family relationship, related on both the maternal and paternal sides of a family.

   He's my double cousin as my mother's sister married my father's brother.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

4. Designed for two (people, cars, etc.).

   a double roomCategory:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   a double garageCategory:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

5. Folded in two; composed of two layers.
6. Stooping; bent over.
7. Having two aspects; ambiguous.

   a double meaningCategory:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   • 1927, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados Mysteries:

     Assuming the accuracy of his information, the curious fact was established that Mr Rigby Lacksome, ostensibly in England to attend the book sales, had prompted a convenient organization to carry out a raid on a certain historic building, while he himself immediately appeared on the scene with an arrangement to make good the damage. […] Was there, indeed, some double purpose here at work?

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8. False, deceitful, or hypocritical.

   a double lifeCategory:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.:

     A fals double tunge is more fiers and fell
     Then Cerberus the cur couching in the kenel of hel;
     Wherof hereafter, I thinke for to write,
     Of fals double tunges in the diſpite.

9. Of flowers, having more than the normal number of petals.
10. (musicCategory:en:Music#DOUBLE) Of an instrument, sounding an octave lower.

    a double bassCategory:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

11. (musicCategory:en:Music#DOUBLE) Of time, twice as fast.

Adverb

double (not comparable)Category:English lemmas#DOUBLECategory:English adverbs#DOUBLECategory:English uncomparable adverbs#DOUBLECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#DOUBLECategory:Pages with entries#DOUBLECategory:Pages with 3 entries#DOUBLE

1. Twice over; twofold; doubly.
   • February 7 1736, Jonathan Swift, letter to Alexander Pope

     I was double their age.

2. Two together; two at a time.

   When I met the twins, I thought I was seeing double.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   There are only a few beds, so some of the children will have to sleep double for the night.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

3. Into two halves or sections.

   The old man was bent double under his heavy burden.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

Noun

double (plural doubles)Category:English lemmas#DOUBLECategory:English nouns#DOUBLECategory:English countable nouns#DOUBLECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#DOUBLECategory:Pages with entries#DOUBLECategory:Pages with 3 entries#DOUBLE

1. Twice the number, amount, size, etc.
2. A person who resembles and stands in for another person, often for safety purposes

   Saddam Hussein was rumored to have many doubles.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

3. A drink with two portions of alcohol.

   On second thought, make that a double.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

4. A ghostly apparition of a living person; a doppelgänger.
   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbj&oslash￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 71:

     According to the description our captain had given me of Peter Sandaker once when he had dropped behind on the march, he was particularly good at telling tales and stories about goblin-birds, doubles, and fairies, and had a special fancy for entering into the most minute details, whenever he commenced telling about one or the other of the eighteen bears he had killed in his time.

     Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

5. A sharp turn, especially a return on one's own tracks.
6. A redundant item for which an identical item already exists.

   I have more than 200 stamps in my collection but they're not all unique: some are doubles.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

   Before printing the photos, Liam deleted the doubles.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

7. (baseballCategory:en:Baseball#DOUBLE) A two-base hit.

   The catcher hit a double to lead off the ninth.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

8. (bridgeCategory:en:Bridge#DOUBLE) A call that increases certain scoring points if the last preceding bid becomes the contract.
9. (billiardsCategory:en:Billiards#DOUBLE, snookerCategory:en:Snooker#DOUBLE) A strike in which the object ball is struck so as to make it rebound against the cushion to an opposite pocket.
   • 2023 May 1, Steve Sutcliffe, “World Snooker Championship 2023 final: Luca Brecel beats Mark Selby for first world title”, in BBC Sport:

     Brecel fired in doubles, a succession of stunning long pots and seemingly cleared balls at will as he rattled through the first four frames in under an hour.

     Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

10. A bet on two horses in different races in which any winnings from the first race are placed on the horse in the later race.
    • 2005, Kenneth Brown, ...and I Survived: A Barnardo Boy's Memoir, page 55:

      Not only did I collect on the double; I had the win and the place money as well.

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11. (dartsCategory:en:Darts#DOUBLE) The narrow outermost ring on a dartboard.
12. (dartsCategory:en:Darts#DOUBLE) A hit on this ring.
13. (dominoesCategory:en:Dominoes#DOUBLE) A tile that has the same value (i.e., the same number of pips) on both sides.
14. (programmingCategory:en:Programming#DOUBLE) A double-precision floating-point number.

    The sine function returns a double.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

15. (soccerCategory:en:Football (soccer)#DOUBLE) Two competitions, usually one league and one cup, won by the same team in a single season.
16. (rowingCategory:en:Rowing#DOUBLE) A boat for two scullers.
17. (sportsCategory:en:Sports#DOUBLE) The feat of scoring twice in one game.
    • 2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC‎:

      DJ Campbell grabbed a second-half double as Blackpool made Sunderland pay for a host of missed chances to secure a fifth away league win of the season.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

18. (sportsCategory:en:Sports#DOUBLE, chiefly swimmingCategory:en:Swimming#DOUBLE and track) The feat of winning two events in a single meet or competition.

    In 1996, Michael Johnson achieved a double by winning both the 200 and 400 meter dashes.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

19. (cricketCategory:en:Cricket#DOUBLE) The achievement of 1000 runs and 100 wickets taken in a single season.
20. (historicalCategory:English terms with historical senses#DOUBLE) A former French coin worth one-sixth of a sou.
21. (historicalCategory:English terms with historical senses#DOUBLE, GuernseyCategory:Guernsey English#DOUBLE) A copper coin worth one-eighth of a penny.
    • 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 196:

      As for doubles, they are not worth anything now; and I have still got an egg-cupful my mother used to keep handy to give the baker change from a farthing.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

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22. (musicCategory:en:Music#DOUBLE) Playing the same part on two instruments, alternately.
23. (ChristianityCategory:en:Christianity#DOUBLE) A double feast.
24. Synonym of double-quick (“fast marching pace”).
25. (musicCategory:en:Music#DOUBLE) A secondary instrument with which a musician is skilled.
    • 2020 January 4, Bret Pimentel, “Woodwind doubling and saxophone problems”, in Bret Pimentel, woodwinds‎:

      The saxophone is a valuable and rewarding double, and opens up many gigs that aren’t available to players of just the “orchestral” woodwinds.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

26. (slangCategory:English slang#DOUBLE, datedCategory:English dated terms#DOUBLE) A double-cross or betrayal.
    • 1880, Hawley Smart, False Cards, page 216:

      His fellows had chaffed him much upon the way that astute adventurer had bamboozled him, or, in their vernacular, "put the double on him," and vowed that all his energies should be devoted to a return match.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

Verb

double (third-person singular simple present doubles, present participle doubling, simple past and past participle doubled)Category:English lemmas#DOUBLECategory:English verbs#DOUBLECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#DOUBLECategory:Pages with entries#DOUBLECategory:Pages with 3 entries#DOUBLE

1. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#DOUBLE) To multiply by two.

   The company doubled their earnings per share over last quarter.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

2. (intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE) To increase by 100%, to become twice as large in size.

   Our earnings have doubled in the last year.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

3. To be the double of; to exceed by twofold; to contain or be worth twice as much as.
   • 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, stanza 119, page 31:

     Thus re-inforc’d, againſt the adverſe Fleet / Still doubling ours, brave Rupert leads the way.

     Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

4. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#DOUBLE) To fold over so as to make two folds.

   To make a pleat, double the material at the waist.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

5. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#DOUBLE, sometimes followed by up) To clench (a fist).
6. (baseballCategory:en:Baseball#DOUBLE) To get a two-base hit.

   The batter doubled into the corner.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

7. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#DOUBLE, often followed by together or up) To join or couple.
8. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#DOUBLE) To repeat exactly; copy.
9. (intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE) To serve a second role or have a second purpose. [with as]

   A spork is a kind of fork that doubles as a spoon.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

10. (ambitransitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#DOUBLECategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE, sometimes with "for") To act as substitute for (another theatrical performer in a certain role, etc).
    • 1801, Francis William Blagdon, Paris as it was and as it is, published 1803, II, xli, 60:

      Laforêt, who (as the French express it), doubles Lainez, that is, performs the same characters in his absence.

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    • 1814, Elizabeth Hervey, The Mourtray Family: Third Edition, page 31:

      […] and when she attempted to double the part of her mother, she equally failed in playing the great or agreeable lady.

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11. (theaterCategory:en:Theater#DOUBLE) To play (both one part and another, in the same play, etc).
    • 1878, lady Isabella Emma E. Schuster, Hands Not Hearts, page 141:

      When, therefore, Briggs, the sedate, middle-aged individual, who in the Markham household doubles the roles of butler and valet, makes his appearance, his master affects to be in a great hurry, looks at his watch, and says : […]

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

    • 1916, The Moving Picture World, page 335:

      Miss Theby doubles in the part of Rose and the native girl in the Philippines. This is a problem plot in which a young man leaves the girl of his choice because she has had an affair in her earlier years. He goes to the Philippines, […]

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    • 1997, Roger Lewis, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Hal Leonard Corporation, →ISBN:

      In On the Beat he doubles the parts of a constable and a gang-leader. Norman was all over the place.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

    • 2013, Hy Rothstein, Barton Whaley, The Art and Science of Military Deception, Artech House, →ISBN, page 164:

      In his case the matter is simplified by the fact that the head of his Deception Staff doubles the roles of author and producer. The Commander therefore tells him what sort of deception he needs, examines the plans produced for him […]

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

12. (intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE) To turn sharply, following a winding course.
13. (nauticalCategory:en:Nautical#DOUBLE) To sail around (a headland or other point).
    • 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:

      Sailing along the coast, he doubled the promontory of Carthage.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

    • 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 162:

      […] though the Iſland itſelf was not very large […] I found a great Ledge of Rocks lie out about two Leagues into the Sea […] ſo that I was oblig’d to go a great Way out to Sea to double the Point.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

14. (musicCategory:en:Music#DOUBLE) To duplicate (a part) either in unison or at the octave above or below it.
15. (musicCategory:en:Music#DOUBLE, intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE, usually followed by "on") To be capable of performing (upon an additional instrument).
16. (bridgeCategory:en:Bridge#DOUBLE) To make a call that will double certain scoring points if the preceding bid becomes the contract.
17. (card gamesCategory:en:Card games#DOUBLE, intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE) To double down.
18. (billiardsCategory:en:Billiards#DOUBLE, snookerCategory:en:Snooker#DOUBLE, pool) To cause (a ball) to rebound from a cushion before entering the pocket.
19. (intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE) To go or march at twice the normal speed.
    • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter XLVII, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC, page 250:

      "You double down to the harbour, my lad," said the Captain to Strickland, "and sign on. You've got your papers."
      Strickland set off at once, and that was the last Captain Nichols saw of him.

      Category:English terms with quotations#DOUBLE

20. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#DOUBLE) To multiply the strength or effect of by two.

    Sorry, this store does not double coupons.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

21. (militaryCategory:en:Military#DOUBLE) To unite, as ranks or files, so as to form one from each two.
22. (radioCategory:en:Radio#DOUBLE, informalCategory:English informal terms#DOUBLE, of a station) To transmit simultaneously on the same channel as another station, either unintentionally or deliberately, causing interference.

    Could you please repeat your last transmission? Another station was doubling with you.Category:English terms with usage examples#DOUBLE

23. (espionageCategory:en:Espionage#DOUBLE, intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#DOUBLE) To operate as a double agent.
    • 1973, National Lampoon, page 12:

      Was this simply the cover name of an Allied spy-code named the Brass Monkey? […] The possibility that the Brass Monkey himself was "doubling" (with headquarters' approval, of course) is too logical […]

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See also

• quadruple
• quintuple
• sextuple
• single
• triple

Anagrams

• Lobedu, bouled, dobule

Etymology

From EnglishCategory:Cantonese terms borrowed from English#DOUBLECategory:Cantonese terms derived from English#DOUBLE double.

Pronunciation

Noun

doubleCategory:Chinese lemmas#DOUBLECategory:Chinese nouns#DOUBLECategory:Chinese entries with incorrect language header#DOUBLECategory:Pages with entries#DOUBLECategory:Pages with 3 entries#DOUBLE

1. (Hong Kong CantoneseCategory:Hong Kong Cantonese#DOUBLE) times; -fold (Classifier: 個／个 c)Category:Chinese nouns classified by 個/个#DOUBLE

   使多一個double／使多一个double [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  sai² do¹ jat¹ go³ dap¹ bou⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  to use onefold moreCategory:Cantonese terms with usage examples

   • 2014 May 8, 蔡少芬, quotee, “蔡少芬掌財　張晉叫唔好死：搞埋啲投資先”, in on.cc東網‎, 繽FUN星網:

     試過賺幾個double，我見好就會收，不過洪欣就試過走唔切。 [Hong Kong Cantonese, trad.]
     试过赚几个double，我见好就会收，不过洪欣就试过走唔切。 [Hong Kong Cantonese, simp.]

     si³ gwo³ zaan⁶ gei² go³ dap¹ bou⁴, ngo⁵ gin³ hou² zau⁶ wui⁵ sau¹, bat¹ gwo³ hung⁴ jan¹ zau⁶ si³ gwo³ zau² m⁴ cit³. [Jyutping]

     I've experienced earning multiple times [of the original amount invested] before; I would quit while one is ahead, but Hung Yan once did not leave the market in time.

     Category:Cantonese terms with quotations

Verb

doubleCategory:Chinese lemmas#DOUBLECategory:Chinese verbs#DOUBLECategory:Chinese entries with incorrect language header#DOUBLECategory:Pages with entries#DOUBLECategory:Pages with 3 entries#DOUBLE

1. (Hong Kong CantoneseCategory:Hong Kong Cantonese#DOUBLE) to double; to increase by 100%

References

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

Etymology

Inherited from Old FrenchCategory:French terms inherited from Old French#DOUBLECategory:French terms derived from Old French#DOUBLE doble, from LatinCategory:French terms inherited from Latin#DOUBLECategory:French terms derived from Latin#DOUBLE duplus.