Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

double Dutch

noun

Definition of double Dutch

1 : unintelligible language
2 : the jumping of two jump ropes rotating in opposite directions simultaneously
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about double Dutch

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of double Dutch in a Sentence

The girls were playing double Dutch on the sidewalk. the fast-talking con man spouts some double Dutch, and it is only afterwards that the victim realizes that he's given two twenties for a ten

First Known Use of double Dutch

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about double Dutch

Share double Dutch

Statistics for double Dutch

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for double Dutch

The first known use of double Dutch was in 1876

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for double Dutch

double Dutch

noun

English Language Learners Definition of double Dutch

US : the activity of jumping over two jump ropes that two people are swinging in circles in opposite directions
chiefly British, informal : language that cannot be understood

See the full definition for double Dutch in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on double Dutch

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with double Dutch

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for double Dutch

Comments on double Dutch

What made you want to look up double Dutch? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

bower

Listen to the pronounciation of bower

a shady place in a garden or forest

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Original Meanings Quiz

  • rembrandt-painting-a-young-scholar-and-his-tutor
  • Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games